Wheeler,  Henry,  1835-1925 
Deaconesses,  ancient  and 
modern 


DEACONESSES 


ANCIENT   AND   MODERN 


BY 

REV.    HENRY    WHEELER 


AUTHOR   OF 


The  Memory  of  the   Just^    Methodisvt   and  the    Temperance  Reformation^ 
Rays  of  Light  in  the  Valley  of  Sorrow,  etc. 


The  Lord  giveth  the  word  : 

The  women  that  publish  the  tidings  are  a  gjeat  host. 

— PsA.  Ixviii,  II, 

^vvlcTijui  fil  vfilv  ^oiiSt^'  ttjv  adcl^TjV  rjnuv.  ovrrav  (SiaKOvov  -i]c,  eKK7iria'taq 
TT/g  tv  KeyxP^alg- — ROM.  xvi,  i. 


NETV  YORK;  HUNT  &-  BATON 

CI  NCI NN A  TI:    CRANSTON  &=  STOIVE 
1889 


Copyright,  1889,  by 

H  U  N  T    &     E  ATON, 

New  York. 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  Page 

I.  Prophetesses  of  the  Old  Testament 5 

II.  Women  of  the  Gospels 20 

III.  Women  of  the  Acts 31 

IV.  Women  of  the  Epistles 40 

V.  Deaconesses  of  the  Apostolic  Church 46 

YI.  Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Church 57 

VII.  The  Ordination  of  Deaconesses 78 

VIII.  The  Work,  Character,  and  Persecutions  of  the  An- 
cient Deaconesses  103 

JX.  The  Decline  and  Disappearance  of  the  Ancient  Or- 
der OF  Deaconesses 124 

X.  Deaconesses  and  Sisterhoods  Fundamentally  Differ- 
ent      134 

XI.  The  Female  Diaconate  and  the  Error  of  the  Spir- 
itual Marriage  of  the  Individual  with  Christ...   150 

XII.  The  Deaconesses  op  Kaiserswerth 167 

XIII.  Deaconesses  in  England 201 

XIV.  Deaconesses  in  the  United  States 234 

XV.  Deaconesses  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  . . .  258 

XVI.  Conclusion 297 


TO  THE 

DEACONESSES  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD; 

IN  MEMORY  OF  THE  ANCIENT,  IN  SYMPATHY  WITH  THE 
MODERN; 

WITH  PROFOUND  RESPECT  FOR  WOMAN'S  WORK 
IN  EVERY  SPHERE, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  MOST  RESPECTFULLY 


PREFACE. 


This  work  is  an  attempt  to  bring  before  the  reader 
a  brief  historical  outline  of  the  ancient  order  of  dea- 
conesses, its  disappearance  in  the  Middle  Ages,  and 
its  revival  in  modern  times. 

The  condition  of  the  world  calls  for  the  employ- 
ment of  all  agencies  that  can  lessen  its  sorrows  and 
shed  the  light  of  Gospel  truth  into  its  dark  places. 
The  contest  between  the  forces  of  good  and  evil  is 
becoming  more  severe,  and  the  zeal  of  the  Church 
more  intense.  New  instrumentalities  for  good  are 
sought,  and  old  ones  long  discarded  are  brought  into 
requisition. 

The  simple  forms  of  labor  existing  in  apostolic 
times  were  destroyed  by  priestly  assumptions  and  am- 
bition, and  woman  as  an  officer  of  the  Church  was  set 
aside.  The  work  of  the  Reformation  is  not  yet  com- 
plete ;  the  wheat  is  not  all  winnowed  from  the  chaff. 
A  brighter  day  is  dawning.  As  the  Church  is  bap- 
tized with  the  Holy  Ghost  she  goes  back  to  the  spirit 
of  primitive  Christianity,  recognizes  the  ministry  of 
woman,  and  sends  her  forth  with  blessing  and  author- 
ity. But  the  Church  will  not  reach  her  highest 
development  and  power  until,  in  spiritual  right  and 
privilege  in  Christ  Jesus,  every  line  of  distinction 


4  Preface. 

between  male  and  female  is  obliterated  as  it  is  be- 
tween Jew  and  Greek,  bond  and  free. 

Should  these  pages  contribute  any  thing  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  woman's  work  in  the  Church  it  will  be 
matter  of  humble  gratitude  to  God  on  the  part  of  the 
writer.  For  this  purpose  it  is  presented  to  the  pub- 
lic, and  especially  to  those  interested  in  the  deaconess 
movement. 

The  author  acknowledges  his  obligation  to  his  life- 
long friend,  James  Ponsford,  Esq.,  of  Arlington 
House,  Cheddar,  England ;  to  William  R.  Murphy, 
Esq.,  Rev.  A.  Spaeth,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  A.  Cordes,  Rec- 
tor of  the  Mary  J.  Drexel  Deaconess  Home,  Philadel- 
phia, for  valuable  books. 

We  have,  in  the  proper  place,  referred  to  the  sev- 
eral authors  from  whom  we  have  quoted,  but  have  not 
given  the  full  titles.  The  work  of  Dean  Howson  is 
entitled  Deaconesses;  or,  The  Official  Help  of  Women 
in  Parochial  Work  and  in  Charitable  Institutions. 
London :  Longman,  Green,  Longman,  and  Roberts, 
1862.  The  work  of  J.  M.  Ludlow  is  entitled  Woman's 
Work  in  the  Church.  Alexander  Strahan,  London 
and  New  York,  1866.  The  Church  Fathers  used  is 
the  edition  published  by  the  Christian  Literature 
Company,  New  York. 

The  work  is  sent  forth  with  the  hope  that  the 
divine  blessing  may  attend  it  and  the  cause  it  advo- 
cates. The  Author. 

1018  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  April,  1889. 


DEACONESSES, 

ANCIENT    AND    MODERN. 


CHAPTEK  I. 

PRELIMINARY. 

PROPHETESSES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

Man  and  woman  in  their  creation  and  bj  natural 
endowments  are  inseparably  united.  The  bond  can 
never  be  broken.  They  stood  together  in  the  purity 
of  Eden,  and  together  fell  in  the  transgression,  shar- 
ing its  penalty  in  the  loss  of  purity  and  paradise. 

"They,  hand  in  hand,  with  wandering  steps  and  slow, 
Through  Eden  took  their  sohtary  way." 

Thus  they  entered  upon  their  career  of  mutual  sin 
and  alienation  from  God.  "  Hand  in  hand "  must 
they  seek  to  regain  the  lost  paradise,  and  side  by  side 
work  out  their  physical  and  moral  destiny.  That  this 
is  what  God  intended,  both  nature  and  revelation 
plainly  teach.  To  help  humanity  in  its  lapsed  condi- 
tion, God  called  and  inspired  some  to  make  known 
his  will.     The  endowments  bestowed  on  his  servants 


6  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

of  old  have  kindled  high  and  holy  aspirations  in  right- 
eous souls  of  ever  J  generation,  and  the  employment 
of  men  and  women  in  the  prophetic  office  in  the 
earliest  ages  is,  at  least,  an  intimation  of  God's  de- 
sign in  the  subsequent  and  fuller  development  of  his 
Church. 

We  may  justly  infer  that  agencies  employed  at  one 
time  would  be  employed  at  another  when  the  ends  to 
be  accomplished  are  the  same ;  and  that  spiritual  en- 
dowments given  in  one  age  would  be  given  in  an- 
other when  the  work  of  God  demanded  them.  That 
this  has  always  been  the  faith  of  the  Church  is  seen  in 
the  fact  that  the  gracious  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
have  been  invoked  on  those  specially  consecrated  to 
religious  work.  In  the  ordination  of  a  deaconess  in 
the  ancient  Church  the  bishop  prayed :  *'  O  Eternal 
God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Creator 
of  man  and  of  woman,  who  didst  replenish  with  the 
Spirit  Miriam  and  Deborah,  and  Anna,  and  Hub 
dah,  ...  do  thou  now  also  look  down  upon  this 
thy  servant,  w^ho  is  to  be  ordained  to  the  office 
of  a  deaconess,  and  grant  her  thy  Holy  Spirit."  *  Here 
is  a  recognition  of  the  fact  that  in  the  old  dispensa- 
tion God  endowed  and  filled  with  his  Holy  Spirit 
some  holy  women  whom  he  called  to  do  special 
work  in  his  Church.  In  every  age  substantially  the 
same  needs  have  appeared,  and  the  same  agencies  have 
been  employed  in  modified  forms,  and  endowments 
*  Apostolical  Comtitutiorwif  Book  viii,  c.  xx. 


Prophetesses  of  the  Old  Testament.  T 

of  the  same  Spirit  have  been  ^ven.  There  is  "  one 
Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of 
all,  who  is  above  all,  and  in  you  all."  So  it  will  be 
to  the  end. 

Believing  that  it  is  God's  design  to  employ  women 
in  every  age  for  the  spread  of  his  truth,  the  com.fort 
of  his  people,  and  the  establishment  of  his  kingdom, 
we  seek  for  some  illustrations  under  the  old  dispen- 
sation. 

"  The  Lord  giveth  the  word: 

The  women  that  publish  the  tidings  are  a  great  host." 

Psa.  Ixviii,  11.   (R.  Y.) 

"We  will  consider  briefly  the  female  characters  of 
the  Old  Testament  w^ho  were  identified  with  the  work 
of  God  as  leaders  and  teachers,  under  the  name  of 
prophetesses. 

MmiAM.  Miriam  is  the  first  prophetess  on  record 
designated  by  that  name,  though  it  is  not  likely  that 
she  was  the  first  woman  through  whom  God  spoke 
prophetically.  In  tlie  rabbinical  traditions  there  are 
seven  prophetesses  in  Old  Testament  times :  Sarah, 
Miriam,  Deborah,  Hannah,  Abigail,  Huldah,  and 
Esther.* 

The  following  are  the  principal  statements  and 
allusions  to  Miriam  and  her  work  :  "And  Miriam  the 
prophetess,  the  sister  of  Aaron,  took  a  timbrel  in  her 
hand ;  and  all  the  women  went  out  after  her  with 
timbrels  and  with  dances.  And  Miriam  answered 
*  Stanley's  Jewish  Churcfi,  vol  i,  p.  488. 


8  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

them,  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed 
gloriously :  the  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown 
into  the  sea."  Exod.  xv,  20,  21. 

"  And  Miriam  and  Aaron  spake  against  Moses.  .  .  . 
And  they  said,  Hath  the  Lord  indeed  spoken  only  by 
Moses  ?  hath  he  not  spoken  also  by  us  ?  And  the 
Lord  heard  it."  Num.  xii,  1,  2. 

"  O  my  people,  what  have  I  done  unto  thee  ?  and 
wherein  have  I  wearied  thee  ?  testify  against  me. 

"  For  I  brought  tliee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
and  redeemed  thee  out  of  the  house  of  servants ;  and 
I  sent  before  thee  Moses,  Aaron,  and  Miriam."  Mic. 
yi,  3,  4. 

It  can  hardly  be  said  that  before  the  exodus  God 
had  an  organized  people.  At  the  earliest  time  that 
God  gave  to  man  his  revealed  will,  and  designated 
the  system  of  worship  that  would  be  acceptable  to 
him,  he  employed  consecrated  women  in  his  service. 
Miriam  was  the  sister  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  Accord- 
ing to  Josephus,  Miriam  watched  the  fate  of  the  in- 
fant set  afloat  on  the  Nile  in  the  ark  of  bulrushes, 
came  to  the  king's  daughter  when  the  child  was  res- 
cued, and  managed  the  stratagem  for  his  preserva- 
tion, calling  the  child's  mother  to  be  its  nurse.  After 
describing  the  rescue  of  the  child  from  the  river, 
by  the  servant  who  could  swim,  he  says:  "Now 
Miriam  was  by  when  this  happened,  not  to  appear  to 
be  there  on  purpose,  but  only  as  staying  to  see  the 
child.  .  .  .  And,  indeed,  such  providence  was  exer- 


Prophetesses  of  the  Old  Testament.  9 

cised  in  the  care  of  this  child  as  showed  the  power  of 
God."  * 

Upon  the  passages  quoted  above  (Exod.  xv),  Dr. 
A.  Clarke  says :  "  By  this  we  find  that  God  not  only 
poured  out  his  Spirit  upon  men,  but  upon  women 
also.  It  is  likely  that  Miriam  was  inspired  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  instruct  the  Hebrew  women  as  Moses 
and  Aaron  were  to  instruct  the  men." 

We  see  by  ]^um.  xii  that  she  laid  claim  to  the  pro- 
phetic office  and  influence.  The  word  of  God  by 
Micali  shows  that  she  was  constituted  joint  leader  of 
the  people  w^ith  her  two  brothers,  Moses  and  Aaron. 
"  Hence,"  says  Clarke,  "  it  is  very  likely  that  she  was 
the  instructress  of  the  women,  and  regulated  the  times 
and  places  of  their  devotional  acts ;  for  it  appears  that 
from  the  beginning  to  the  present  day  the  Jewish 
women  worshiped  apart."  Peculiar  honor  was  con- 
ferred on  this  godly  woman,  "  the  third  member,  the 
eldest  born  of  that  noble  family,  whose  name  now 
first  appears  in  the  history  of  the  Church,  afterward 
to  become  so  renowned  through  its  Grecian  and  Eu- 
ropean form  of  Maria  and  Mary.  She  came  forth, 
as  was  the  w^ont  of  Hebrew  w^omen  after  some  great 
victory,  to  meet  the  triumphant  hosts,  with  her  Egyp- 
tian timbrels,  and  with  dances  of  her  country-women 
— Miriam,  who  had  watched  her  infant  brother  by 
the  river-side,  and  now  greeted  him  as  the  deliverer 
of  her  people,  or  rather,  if  we  may  with  reverence 

*  Josephus,  Book  ii,  c.  ix. 


10         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

say  so,  greeted  the  divine  Deliverer,  by  the  new  and 
awful  Name,  now  first  clearly  proclaimed  to  her  fam- 
ily and  nation."  * 

•'  Sing  unto  Jehovah,  for  he  is  lifted  up  on  high,  on  high. 
The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea. 
My  strength  and  song  is  Jah,  and  he  is  become  my  salvation. 
He  is  my  God,  and  I  will  praise  him  •  my  father's  God,  and  I  will 
exalt  him.'' 

One  writer,  listening  to  the  voices  of  past  centuries, 
says :  "  Hark !  The  hum  of  mighty  hosts  !  It  rose 
and  fell,  fainter  and  more  faint ;  then  the  murmur  of 
water  was  heard  and  lost  again,  as  it  swelled  and 
gathered  and  burst  in  one  grand  volume  of  sound  like 
a  halleluiah  from  myriad  lips.  Out  of  the  resounding 
echo,  out  of  the  dying  cadence,  a  single  female  voice 
arose.  Clear,  pure,  rich,  it  soared  above  the  tumult 
of  the  host  that  hushed  itself,  a  living  thing.  Higher, 
sweeter,  it  seemed  to  break  the  fetters  of  mortality 
and  tremble  in  sublime  adoration  before  the  Infinite. 
My  breath  stilled  with  awe.  Was  it  a  spirit  voice — 
one  of  the  glittering  host  in  the  jasper  city  Uliat  had 
no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine  in 
it  ? '  And  the  water — was  it  the  river,  clear  as  crystal, 
flowing  from  the  great  white  throne  ?  But  no!  The 
tone  now  floated  out  soft,  sad,  human.  There  was  no 
sorrowful  strain  in  that  nightless  land  where  the  leaves 
of  the  trees  were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  The 
beautiful  voice  was  of  earth,  and  sin-stricken.     From 

*  Stanley's  Jtwish  Church,  vol.  i,  p.  46. 


Pkophetesses  of  the  Old  Testament.        11 

the  sobbing  that  mingled  with  the  faint  ripple  of 
water  it  went  up  inspired  with  praise  to  the  sky,  and 
— hark  !  the  Hebrew  tongue : 

"  'The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea.* 

"  Then  the  noise  of  the  multitude  swelled  again, 
and  a  clash  of  music  broke  forth  from  innumerable 
timbrels.  1  raised  my  head  quickly — it  was  the 
song  of  Miriam  after  the  passage  of  the  Red 
Sea."  * 

It  is  evident  that  Miriam  moved  in  a  higher  sphere 
than  was  allotted  to  ordinary  Israelitish  women,  and 
served  God  in  his  public  worship,  leading  and  direct- 
ing vast  hosts  of  worshipers  in  a  system  of  worship 
that  was  peculiarly  spectacular  and  demonstrative. 
If  tradition  or  the  historian  Josephus  be  correct,  she 
was  married  and  became  a  mother  and  grandmother ; 
and  yet  the  relation  of  wife  and  mother  did  not  debar 
her  from  the  office  of  instructress  and  prophetess. 
"We  know  she  was  a  chosen  and  inspired  leader,  and 
yet  not  so  lifted  above  the  experience  and  life  of  com- 
mon humanity  that  she  could  not  err.  She  grievously 
sinned  in  that  she  rebelled  against  Moses,  and  was 
severely  punished  by  God  amid  the  silent  grief  of  her 
nation,  but  was  forgiven,  healed,  and  at  length  died 
in  the  favor  of  God  on  the  borders  of  Canaan. 

Deborah.  This  remarkable  woman  is  introduced 
to  us  in  the   following  manner :    "  And  Deborah,  a 

*  F.  McLandburgh. 


12         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

prophetess,  tlie  wife  of  Lapidoth,  she  judged  Israel 
at  tliat  time.  And  she  dwelt  under  the  pahn-tree 
of  Deborah,  between  Eamah  and  Bethel,  in  Mount 
Ephraim :  and  the  children  of  Israel  came  up  to  her 
for  judgment." — Judg.  iv,  4,  5. 

In  the  days  of  Deborah  the  Israelites  were  op- 
pressed by  surrounding  nations,  and  all  the  chiefs  of 
the  tribes  had  lost  heart,  and  despondency  filled  the 
land.  How  often  under  like  circumstances  has  God 
raised  up  some  special  instrument  to  bring  relief 
to  the  oppressed  !  It  was  so  in  the  political  history 
of  the  Jewish  people,  and  has  been  so  in  the  history 
of  the  Church.  In  the  darkest  hour  the  deliverer 
comes. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  nation,  in  the  time  of  the 
theocracy,  prophetic  endowment,  spiritual  power,  and 
political  rule  were  sometimes  united  in  the  same  per- 
son. The  Spirit  of  God  descended  upon  Deborah, 
and  she  was  the  instrument  of  conveying  to  her  peo- 
ple the  divine  will  in  things  sacred  and  civil. 

"  Deborah's  title  of  prophetess  includes  the  notion 
of  inspired  poetry,  and  in  this  sense  the  glorious  tri- 
umphal ode  well  vindicates  her  claim  to  the  office. 
This  song,  which  was  composed  in  consequence  of  the 
great  victory  over  Sisera,  is  said  to  have  been  sung 
by  Deborah  and  Barak.  It  is  usually  regarded  as  the 
composition  of  Deborah,  and  was  probably  indited  by 
her  to  be  sung  on  the  return  of  Barak  and  his  war- 
riors from  the  pursuit.     It  belongs  indisputably  to 


Prophetesses  of  tfie  Old  Testament.        13 

tlie  first  rank  of  Hebrew  poetry,  and  is  one  of  its 
most  splendid  and  difficult  specimens."  ^ 

In  the  ecstasy  and  energy  of  inspiration  the  proph- 
etess pours  out  her  whole  soul  in  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  his  divine  aid,  and  in  gratitude  to  the  people  of 
Israel  for  their  patriotism  in  rising  spontaneously  to 
throw  off  the  yoke  of  oppression.  "  Her  strains  are 
bold,  varied,  and  sublime ;  she  is  every-where  full  of 
abrupt  and  impassioned  appeals  and  personifications; 
she  bursts  away  from  earth  to  heaven  and  again  re- 
turns to  human  things;  she  touches  now  upon  the 
present,  now  dwells  upon  the  past,  and  closes  at  length 
with  the  grand  promise  and  result  of  all  prophecy, 
and  of  all  the  dealings  of  God's  providence,  that  the 
wicked  shall  be  overthrown,  while  the  righteous  shall 
ever  triumph  in  Jehovah's  name."  f 

In  this  instance,  in  one  of  the  darkest  periods  of 
Jewish  history,  God  chose  a  woman  as  the  organ  of 
communication  with  his  people.  By  the  purity  and 
infiuence  of  her  character  she  was  the  head  of  the  na- 
tion. By  her  intercourse  with  God,  by  her  patriotic 
zeal,  her  unswerving  faith,  and  her  hope  in  the  future 
of  her  nation,  she  became,  indeed,  ''a  mother  in  Is- 
rael." She  was  "  the  wife  of  Lapidoth."  As  God 
designed  the  great  majority  of  women  for  wifehood 
and  motherhood,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  makes  no 
distinction  between  the  married  and  unmarried  in  his 
calls  to  labor.     God,  whose  wisdom  is  infinite,  chooses 

*  McClintock  and  Strong,  art.  "  Deborah."  \  Ibid. 


14         Deaconessls,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


instruments  adapted  to  his  work,  independent  of  the 
mere  accidents  of  life.  Purity  of  character,  conse- 
cration to  his  service,  a  desire  to  do  his  will,  a  single 
eye  to  his  glory,  a  waiting  for  God's  call,  a  readiness 
to  be  sent — these  are  the  characteristics  that  secure 
the  honor  of  some  special  service  in  the  cause  of  God 
and  man. 

Hannah.  The  biblical  account  of  Hannah  is  given 
in  1  Sam.  i  and  ii.  The  simple  and  natural  story 
has  excited  the  interest  and  won  the  favor  of  the 
good  in  all  ages,  and  her  beautiful  prophetic  song  has 
found  an  echo  in  many  hearts. 

"The  Lord  maketli  poor,  and  makelh  rich: 
He  bringetli  low,  he  also  lifteth  up. 
He  raiseili  up  the  poor  out  of  the  dust, 
He  lifteth  up  the  needy  from  the  duughill, 
And  maketh  them  to  sit  with  princes, 
And  inherit  the  throne  of  glory: 
For  the  pillars  of  the  earth  are  the  Lord's, 
And  he  hath  set  the  world  upon  them.  .  .  . 
The  Lord  shall  judge  the  ends  of  the  earth; 
And  he  shall  give  strength  unto  his  king, 
And  exalt  the  horn  of  his  anointed."    (R.  V.) 

"The  Magnificat  of  Hannah  is  an  evangelical  song 
chanted  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy  under  the  Levitical 
law.  It  is  a  prelude  and  overture  to  the  Gospel.  It 
is  a  connecting  link  of  sweet  and  sacred  melody  be- 
tween the  Magnificat  of  Miriam  after  the  passage  of 
the  Ked  Sea — sjnnbolizing  the  death,  burial,  and  res- 
urrection of  Christ — and  the  Magnificat  of  Mary,  the 
annunciation  of  his  birth.     It  is  not  only  a  song  of 


Prophetesses  of  the  Old  Testament.        15 

thanksgiving,  it  is  also  a  prophecy.  It  is  the  utter- 
ance of  the  Holy  Ghost  moving  within  her,  and  mak- 
ing her  maternal  joy  on  the  birth  of  Samuel  to  over- 
flow in  outpourings  of  thankfulness  to  God  for  those 
greater  blessings  in  Christ,  of  which  that  birth  was 
an  earnest  and  pledge."  ^ 

Not  much  is  said  of  Hannah  in  the  sacred  writings, 
but  enough  to  show  the  beauty  of  her  character  and 
her  exalted  piety.  She  loved  God  and  his  worship, 
consecrated  her  first-born  to  the  service  of  the  sanctu- 
ary, and  under  the  inspiration  of  God  gave  utterance 
to  the  beautiful  prophetic  song  in  which  she  foretold 
the  overthrow  of  the  enemies  of  her  people  and  the 
comincr  of  the  Messiah. 

Peculiar  honor  was  conferred  on  Hannah,  in  that 
she  was  the  first  to  describe  the  Saviour  of  the  world 
as  a  KING  before  there  was  a  king  in  Israel,  and  ^'  she 
first  a])plied  to  him  the  remarkable  epithet,  Messiah 
in  Hebrew,  Christ  in  Greek,  and  Anointed  in  En- 
glish," f  which  was  adopted  by  nearly  all  the  inspired 
writers  that  succeeded  her  in  both  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments. 

Thus  wonderfully  does  God  honor  woman  by  plac- 
ing her  among  the  prophets ;  and  in  this  is  Hannah 
distinguished  above  all,  in  that  she  unfolds  the  lead- 
ing title  by  which  the  Son  of  God  should  be  known 
in  all  the  world  and  in  all  ages.  "  Moreover,  he  who 
is  suitably  interested  in  these  things,  .  .  .  does  he  not 

*  Wordsworth.  f  Dr.  Hales,  quoted  by  Dr.  Clarke. 


16         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

apply  liis  mind,  and  perceive,  and  acknowledge,  that 
tlirongli  this  woman,  whose  very  name,  wdiich  is 
Hannah,  means  '  this  grace ' — the  very  Christian  re- 
ligion, the  very  city  of  God,  whose  King  and  Founder 
is  Christ,  in  fine,  the  very  grace  of  God,  hath  thus 
spoken  by  the  prophetic  spirit,  whereby  the  proud 
are  cut  off  so  that  they  fall  and  the  humble  are  filled 
so  that  they  rise,  which  that  hymn  chiefly  cele- 
brates?"* 

HuLDAH.  Kothing  is  known  of  Haldah,  the  proph- 
etess, but  what  is  recorded  in  2  Kings  xxii.  The 
prophecy  she  uttered  is  contained  in  verses  fifteen  to 
twenty  inclusive.  A  very  brief  prophecy,  but  the 
circumstances  that  called  it  forth  are  remarkable  and 
worthy  of  special  notice.  The  people  of  Israel  had 
departed  from  God  during  the  reign  of  the  wicked 
kings  Manasseh  and  Amon ;  but  the  good  Josiah  in- 
augurated a  reformation. 

The  high-priest  Hilkiah  found  the  Book  of  the 
Law  in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  There  was,  however, 
such  a  dearth  of  religious  knowledge  that  not  one  of 
all  the  king's  servants,  neither  high-priest  nor  scribe, 
could  give  the  meaning  of  the  law  to  the  king  when 
he  demanded  it.  Jeremiah  was  a  prophet  in  Israel 
at  that  time,  but  he  was  not  appealed  to;  perhaps 
he  was  at  his  home  in  Anathoth  and  could  not  be 
readily  consulted,  or  else  it  was  the  purpose  of  God 
that  Iluldah  should  be  consulted  and  her  prophecy 

*  Augustine,  City  of  God,  Book  xvii,  c.  iv. 


Pkophetesses  of  the  Old  Testament.        17 

recorded,  as  this  is  the  only  cii-cumstance  by  wliich 
her  name  is  perpetuated  in  the  Chiircli,  though  it  is 
likely  she  was  a  constant  instructor  of  the  people. 

Aside  from  the  office  of  prophetess  she  stood  well 
in  the  nation.  She  was  "the  wife  of  Shallum  the 
son  of  Tikvah,  the  son  of  Harhas,  keeper  of  the 
w^ardrobe;"  "which  Shallum,"  says  Josephus,  "was 
a  man  of  dignity,  au'l  of  an  eminent  family."  "We 
find  from  this,  and  we  have  many  facts  in  all  ages  to 
corroborate  it,  that  a  pontiff,  a  pope,  a  bishop,  or  a 
priest  may,  in  some  cases,  not  possess  the  true  know^l- 
edge  of  God ;  and  that  a  simple  wouian,  possessing 
the  life  of  God  in  the  soul,  may  have  more  knowl- 
edge of  the  divine  testiuionies  than  many  of  those 
whose  office  it  is  to  explain  and  enforce  them."  * 

This  is  true,  but  it  is  evident  that  the  know^ledge 
possessed  by  Huldah  was  not  of  the  ordinary  kind, 
and  though  a  woman  she  was  one  of  those  appointed 
of  God  to  teach  and  enforce  the  divine  law  and  to  be 
a  mouth-piece  for  God  to  his  people.  The  note  of 
Dr.  Priestly  is  apt  and  to  the  point :  "  It  pleased  God 
to  distinguish  several  women  with  the  spirit  of  proph- 
ecy, as  well  as  other  great  attainments,  to  show  that 
in  his  sight,  and  especially  in  things  of  a  spiritual  nat- 
ure, there  is  no  essential  pre-eminence  in  the  male 
sex,  though  in  some  things  the  female  is  subject  to 
the  male." 

"  Women  are  the  subjects  of  four  distinct  commands 

*  Adam  Clarke,  D.D. 


18         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

in  the  decalogue.  The  names  of  women  occur  in  the 
genealogies;  and  in  some  cases  they  were  entitled  to 
hold  property  in  tlie  Land  of  Promise.  Women  were 
thus  recognized  in  the  Old  Testament  as  members  of 
society,  as  constituents  of  the  body  corporate,  and  as 
inspired  and  authorized  transmitters  of  divine  ora- 
cles." * 

The  prophetesses  are,  relatively,  few  in  number, 
and  yet  are  sufficient  to  establish  the  truth  given  above 
by  Dr.  Priestly.  In  this  sense  God  is  not  the  re- 
specter of  persons.  By  holy  me#  or  by  holy  women 
God  speaks  or  works  as  it  may  please  him.  There 
were  prophets  of  old,  no  doubt,  whose  names  and 
prophecies  it  did  not  please  God  to  preserve.  Tliey 
served  their  generation,  and  their  record  is  on  high. 
This  is  true,  also,  of  prophetesses.  Enough  has  been 
presented  to  show  that  in  Old  Testament  times  God 
inspired  women,  as  well  as  men,  and  sent  them  to 
make  proclamation  of  liis  will :  some  from  the  rulers 
of  the  people,  as  Miriam  ;  some  from  the  wealthy  and 
eminent,  as  Huldah ;  and  some  from  the  middle  or 
lowly,  as  Hannali. 

These  women  were  not  deaconesses.  No,  but  they 
were  office-bearers  in  the  Church  of  God,  and  spe- 
cially endowed  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  the  early 
Church  fathers  who  penned  the  prayer  to  be  used  at 
tlie  ordination  of  a  deaconess  prayed  that  God  would 
replenish  with  the  Holy  Spirit  the  consecrated  dea- 

*  Dr.  Charteris,  Presbyterian  Review,  1888. 


Prophetesses  of  the  Old  Testament.        Id 

conesses  as  he  did  "  Miriam,  Deborah,  Hannah,  and 
Huldah." 

Deaconesses  are  not  inspired  as  were  prophetesses, 
neither  have  deacons  been  inspired  since  the  days  of 
tlie  apostles,  but  they  may  be  "replenished  with  the 
Holy  Spirit,"  and  be  prepared  to  discharge  the  work 
assigned  them  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.  In  this  sense  they  have  served  God,  the 
Church,  and  their  generation  as  efficiently  as  the 
prophetesses  of  the  old  dispensation. 


20         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


CHAPTER  IT. 

THE  WOMEN"  OF  THE  GOSPELS. 

The  spirit  of  prophecy,  which  had  so  long  ceased 
in  Israel,  hegan  to  appear  again  at  the  opening  of 
the  new  dispensation.  As  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Mosaic  it  rested  alike  upon  Moses  and  Miriam,  so 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel  dispensation  it  rested 
also  on  both  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth. 

Elisabeth  belonged  to  a  sacerdotal  family.  She 
"  was  of  the  daughters  of  Aaron,"  and  her  husband 
also  was  a  priest.  By  the  will  of  God  she  became 
the  mother  of  John  the  Baptist.  "  The  angel  said. 
Fear  not,  Zacharias:  for  thy  prayer  is  heard;  and  thy 
wife  Elisabeth  shall  bear  thee  a  son,  and  thou  shalt 
call  his  name  John.  And  thou  shalt  have  joy  and 
gladness ;  and  many  shall  rejoice  at  his  birth."  Luke 
i,  13,  14:.  At  a  later  period,  before  the  birth  of  John, 
Elisabeth  was  ''tilled  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  The 
spirit  of  prophecy  was  upon  her,  and  gave  her  a  clear 
understanding  of  the  mystery  of  the  birth  of  the 
promised  Messiah.  She  blessed  the  Virgin  Mary,  and 
said,  "  Blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and  blessed 
is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb.  And  whence  is  this  to 
me,  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to  me  ? " 
Luke  i,  42. 


The  Women  of  the  Gospels.  21 

Mary.  The  relation  of  the  Virgin  Mary  to  the 
Gospel  dispensation  and  to  the  divine  Saviour  is  excep- 
tional. In  every  respect  it  seems  so  sacred  that  we  can- 
not enter  upon  it,  even  in  thought,  without  feeling  that 
we  "  stand  on  holy  ground."  As  mother  of  the  Sav- 
iour of  the  world  she  holds  a  peculiar  position.  "We 
may  rightly  attribute  to  her  the  most  beautiful  traits 
of  womanly  character,  and  revere  her  as  the  highest 
model  of  female  purity,  love,  and  piety.  In  her  re- 
lation to  the  history  of  redemption,  as  the  mother 
of  Christ,  she  must  forever  stand  alone.  But  in  her 
relation  to  the  Church,  and  her  utterances  of  divine 
truth,  we  may  place  her  with  other  holy  women  who 
have  been  instruments  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Hannah,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  birth  of  Samuel, 
a  future  prophet  and  judge  of  Israel,  sung  in  hal- 
lowed measure.  And  Mary,  like  the  ancient  proph- 
etess, in  the  moment  of  inspired  exaltation  pours 
forth  her  joy  in  poetic  utterances — a  proof  that  the 
same  Spirit,  in  different  ages  and  persons,  breathes 
the  same  holy  strains.  But  the  song  of  the  latter 
is  gentler,  grander,  opening  into  a  far  sublimer  per- 
spective.    "  And  Mary  said, 

"  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord, 

And  my  spirit  liath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour. 

For  he  hath  looked  upon  the  low  eitate  of  his  handmaiden. 

For  behold,  from  henceforth  all  generations  sliall  call  me  blessed. 

For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me  great  things ; 

And  holy  is  his  name. 

And  his  mercy  is  unto  generations  and  generations 


22         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Of  them  that  fear  him. 

He  hath  showed  strength  with  his  arm ; 

He  hatli  scattered  the  proud  in  the  imagination  of  tlieir  heart. 

He  hath  put  down  princes  from  tlieir  thrones, 

And  hath  exalted  them  of  low  degree. 

The  hungry  he  hath  filled  with  good  things; 

And  the  rich  he  hath  sent  empty  away. 

He  hath  holpen  Israel  his  servant, 

That  he  might  remember  mercy 

(As  he  spake  unto  our  fathers) 

Toward  Abraham  and  his  seed  forever."  Luke  i,  46-55.  (R.  V.) 

Anna.  Tlie  ao^ed  prophetess  of  St.  Luke's  gospel 
is  introduced  just  as  Simeon  had  taken  the  infant 
Christ  in  his  arms  and  was  uttering  his  departing 
triumphal  song:  "Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant 
depart  in  peace,  according  to  thy  word ;  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation." 

"And  there  was  one  Anna,  a  prophetess,  the 
daughter  of  Phanuel,  of  the  tribe  of  Aser:  she  was 
of  a  great  age,  and  had  lived  with  a  husband  seven 
years  from  her  virginity;  and  she  was  a  widow  of 
about  fourscore  and  four  years,  which  departed  not 
from  the  temple,  but  served  God  with  fastings  and 
prayers  night  and  day  ;  and  she  coming  in  that  in- 
stant gave  thanks  likewise  unto  the  Lord,  and  spake 
of  him  to  all  them  that  looked  for  redemption  in 
Jerusalem." 

This  prophetess  had  attained  to  a  great  age  and 
sanctity  of  character.  She  was  blessed  with  the  com- 
panionship of  her  husband  but  seven  years,  and  ever 
after  his  death  remained    in  widowhood.      She  was 


The  Women  of  the  Gospels.  23 

one  of  those  "  widows  indeed  "  commended  of  Paul 
to  Timothy.  Her  giving  "thanks  likewise  unto  the 
Lord,"  when  she  saw  the  infant  Jesus  in  the  arms 
of  the  aged  priest,  was  not  tlie  only  instance  of 
her  prophesying,  or  the  only  reason  why  she  was 
called  a  "  prophetess."  Her  constant  attendance  at 
the  temple  service  at  the  liours  appointed  for  prayer, 
whicli  were  nine  in  the  morning  and  three  in  tlie 
afternoon,  and  serving  God  in  "  prayers  and  fastings 
niglit  and  day,"  are  proofs  of  her  zeal  and  devotion. 
"  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  him ; 
and  he  will  show  them  his  covenant."  "Such  an  ap- 
pellation must  have  been  caused  by  some  earlier  and 
frequent  utterances,  dictated  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy, 
by  reason  of  which  she  ranks  among  the  list  of  holy 
women,  who,  both  in  earlier  and  later  times,  were 
chosen  instruments  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  * 

There  were  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  at  this  time 
many  pious  families,  who  were  living  in  immediate 
expectation  of  the  coming  Messiah.  It  had  been 
made  known  to  the  aged  Simeon  that  he  should  not 
die  until  "  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ."  Others 
could  read  and  interpret  the  promises  and  prophecies 
and  were  "waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel." 
The  honor  of  bearing  to  these  families  the  glad  tid- 
ings that  the  Saviour  had  come  was  reserved  for 
Anna.     Was  she  not  the^^'^^  ev^angelist? 

"  And  spake  of  him  to  all  them  that  looked  for 
*  Lange,  in  loco. 


2.1:         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

redemption  in  Jerusalem.  It  is  probable  she  went 
about  from  house  to  house ^  testifying  the  grace  of 
God.  In  the  margin  of  our  common  version,  Israel 
is  put  instead  of  Jerusalem^  which  the  translators 
thought  was  nearly  as  eligible  as  the  word  they  re- 
ceived into  the  text.  .  .  .  Were  this  reading  to  be 
received,  it  would  make  a  very  essential  alteration 
in  the  meaning  of  the  text,  as  it  would  intimate  that 
this  excellent  woman  traveled  over  the  land  of  Israel^ 
proclaiming  the  advent  of  Christ.  At  all  events,  it 
appears  that  this  widow  was  one  of  the  first  pub- 
lishers of  the  Gospel  of  Christ ;  and  it  is  likely  that 
she  traveled  with  it  from  house  to  house  through 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  where  she  knew  they  dwelt 
who  were  expecting  the  salvation  of  God."  * 

There  were  some,  even  in  that  fallen  city  and  de- 
praved age,  whose  hearts  were  right  in  the  sight  of 
God.  They  had  waited  long,  but  their  faith  was  still 
alive  and  their  love  burning.  Anna,  perhaps  more 
aged  than  Simeon,  was  chosen  to  bear  the  welcome 
news  to  them  that  Messiah  had  come.  It  well  be- 
fitted her  spotless  character,  her  long  residence  in 
the  temple,  her  deep  dj. otion.  She  was  standing  on 
the  verge  of  eternity ;  she  must  soon  rise  to  serve 
God  in  the  temple  made  without  hands ;  let  her  go 
to  tell  those  who,  like  herself,  had  hopefully  waited 
his  coming,  that  the  Lord  had  "suddenly  come  to 
his  temple."     She  went  forth  as  one  who  had  glad 

*  Adam  Clarke,  D.D.,  in  loco. 


The  Women  of  the  Gospels.  25 

news  to  tell.  Her  heart  beat  faster,  and  her  aged 
limbs  received  new  strength,  her  youth  w^as  renewed, 
and  her  eyes  beamed  with  unearthly  luster.  Was  she 
weary?  We  think  not.  The  human  frame  will  bear 
much  under  the  impulse  of  a  hallowed  joy.  As  she 
went  up  and  down  the  streets  of  the  ancient  city  her 
feet  touched  the  earth  but  lightly,  because  of  the 
happiness  of  her  soul,  as  she  went  from  house  to 
house  and  ceased  not  until  she  '^  spake  of  him  to  all 
them  that  looked  for  redemption  in  Jerusalem." 

Elisabeth  and  Anna  belonged  to  the  old  dispensa- 
tion rather  than  the  new.  Their  piety  was  of  the 
Old  Testament  type ;  the  center  of  their  thought  and 
worship  was  the  temple.  They  lived  on  the  thresh- 
old ;  the  old  was  fading,  the  new  was  assuming  defi- 
nite form.  In  them  the  two  dispensations  were  beau- 
tifully blended — the  faith  and  hope  inspired  by  the 
promises,  and  the  joy  of  reaHzation.  Anna,  having 
seen  ''the  Lord's  Christ,"  and  proclaimed  his  advent 
to  aU  those  in  Jerusalem  who  were  *' waiting  the 
consolation  of  Israel,"  slept  with  her  fathers.  The 
Lord  Jesus,  emerged  from  the  obscurity  of  Nazareth, 
proclaimed  his  mission,  and  laid  the  foundations  of 
his  kingdom.  Prophets  or  prophetesses  were  no 
longer  needed  to  foretell  his  coming  or  declare  his  ad- 
vent. The  prophetic  office  was  embodied  in  himself. 
He  was  the  one  of  whom  Moses  said,  ''A  prophet 
shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your 
brethren,  like  unto  me ;  him  shall  ye  hear."     When 


26         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

liis  work  was  accomplislied  and  he  had  ascended,  the 
prophetic  Spirit  was  again  given  and  the  sublime 
promise  of  the  Father  was  fultilled  :  "And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  afterward,  that  I  will  poor  out  mj  Spirit 
upon  all  flesh;  and  jour  sons  and  your  daughters  shall 
prophesy.  .  .  .  And  also  upon  the  servants  and  upon 
the  handmaids  in  those  days  will  I  pour  out  my 
Spirit."     Joel  ii,  28,  29. 

There  are  "  many  otlier  women  "  mentioned  in  the 
gospels,  who  stood  in  close  relation  to  Christ  and  his 
work,  whose  affection  and  fidelity  commended  them 
as  examples  to  all  generations.  It  is  not  within  our 
purpose  to  treat  of  them  separately,  as  they  were  not 
called  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  designated  by  Christ,  to 
any  distinctive  work.  The  number  of  women  won 
to  discipleship  shows  that  from  the  flrst  women 
were  associated  with  Christ  in  helpful  and  blessed 
ministries.  "VVe  will  give  them  as  grouped  by  the 
evangelists : 

"  And  many  women  were  there  beholding  afar  off; 
which  followed  Jesus  from  Galilee,  ministering  unto 
him  :  among  which  was  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary 
the  mother  of  James  and  Joses,  and  the  mother  of 
Zebedee's  children."     Matt,  xxvii,  55,  56. 

"  Now  there  stood  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  his  mother, 
and  his  mother's  sister,  Mary,  the  wife  of  Cleophas, 
and  Mary  Magdalene."     John  xix,  25. 

"  It  was  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Joanna,  and  Mary 
the  mother  of  James,  and  other  women  that  were  with 


The  Women  of  the  Gospels.  27 

them,  which  told  these  things  unto  the  apostles." 
Luke  xxiv,  10. 

There  are  a  few  facts  brought  to  view  in  these  Script- 
ure statements  instructive  to  us,  to  which  we  ask  a 
moment's  attention.  The  women  mentioned  by  Mat- 
thew "  followed  Jesus  from  Galilee,  ministering  un- 
to him."  The  object  of  their  ministry  was  the  Son 
of  God,  who  in  the  hour  of  his  sorrow  needed  and  ac- 
cepted the  ministries  of  his  faithful  servants.  They 
were  deaconesses  indeed.  The  idea  involved  in  the 
Greek  word  is  precisely  that  of  helpful  service.  The 
derivation  does  not  point,  as  is  often  thought,  to 
laboring  and  slaving  in  the  dust,  but  rather  to  the 
notion  of  alacrity  and  willing  activity.*  The  help- 
ful work  of  these  female  disciples  offered  to  the  Son 
of  God  was  not  rejected  by  him.  There  were  times 
in  his  life  when  woman's  work  and  sympathy  were 
more  acceptable  than  those  of  man.  When  Christ 
was  engaged  in  his  public  ministry  in  Galilee  these 
w^omen  "  ministered  unto  him  of  their  substance,"  re- 
lieving his  wants,  lessening  his  sorrows,  and  adding  to 
his  joys. 

They  were  in  deep  sympathy  with  his  sufferings. 
John  tells  us  they  "stood  by  the  cross  of  Jesus."  It 
would  seem  that  all  the  male  disciples  except  John 
had  fled,  but  not  the  women.  Perhaps  they  were  in 
less  danger  than  the  men  from  the  excited  multitude. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  their  fidelity  was  more  conspicuous, 

*  Howson,  p.  15. 


28  Deaconesses,  Anciext  and  Modern. 

their  compassion  greater,  and  the  agony  of  Chi'ist  drew 
with  more  powerful  attraction  tlie  tender  sympathies 
of  woman.  This  is  only  an  ilhistration  of  the  law  of 
our  being.  God  made  woman  capable  of  the  most 
tender  sympathy,  and  the  greatest  help  to  all  suffering 
human  beings. 

It  is  a  striking  and  grateful  fact  that  this  need  of 
help  appeared  in  the  Savionr  of  the  world,  and  found 
in  woman  such  willing  helpfulness  as  could  be  ex- 
tended in  the  hour  of  his  death  and  in  the  burial  of 
his  sacred  body.  Attendant  upon  the  ministry,  suf- 
ferings, death,  and  burial  of  Christ  the  first  deacon- 
esses w^ere  found.  Their  tender  ministries  soothed 
his  last  sufferings,  prepared  his  body  for  the  tomb ; 
theirs  were  the  latest  vio^ils  on  the  evenino;  of  the  cru- 
cifixion,  and  earliest  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrec- 
tion. Mary  was  tlie  first  to  see  the  resurrection  body 
of  the  Lord,  and  "  woman "  was  the  first  gracious 
resurrection  word  that  fell  from  his  sacred  lips. 

Does  not  this  indicate  a  field  for  the  energies  and 
sympathies  of  woman  ?  ''  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done 
it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me."  Matt,  xxv,  40.  Thus  she  serves 
the  Lord  in  the  lowliest  of  his  brethren.  Suffering  is 
widespread,  and  its  demands  cannot  be  met  as  they 
should  be  but  by  the  gentle  hand  of  woman. 

What  an  error  the  Church  and  the  world  have  made 
in  tryhig  to  restrict  the  energies  of  woman  to  her  own 
home !     "  It  would  surely  be  a  great  mistake  to  limit 


The  \yoMEN  OF  the  Gospels.  29 

the  divine  law  of  woman's  mission  on  the  earth  to  the 
mere  relation  of  marriage.  The  Scripture  is  far  wider 
than  our  prejudices.  Wherever  helping  work  is  to 
be  done,  there  woman  is  in  her  place.  Motherly  and 
sisterly  care  are  often  most  needed  when  they  cannot 
be  had  within  the  sphere  of  domestic  life.  Home  is 
indeed  woman's  highest  and  most  natural  sphere  ;  but 
the  outcasts  of  society  cannot  be  reached  by  home  in- 
fluences unless  those  influences  are  brought  to  them, 
and  it  is  only  a  female  hand  that  can  bring  them.  If 
the  activity  of  the  stronger  sex  is  to  penetrate  all  parts 
of  human  life,  and  yet  feminine  influence  is  to  be  re- 
stricted within  families,  the  equilibrium  of  society  is 
not  preserved,  but  marred."* 

"  They  told  these  things  unto  the  apostles."  Thus 
these  faithful  women  proclaimed  the  Gospel  to  the 
men  who  were  afterward  to  be  the  teachers  of  the 
whole  human  race.  What  honor  God  hath  bestowed 
on  woman !  She  ministered  to  Christ  of  her  sub- 
stance. She  stood  by  the  cross  and  manifested  her 
sympathy  when  scarcely  a  pitying  eye  gazed  on  him 
from  all  the  multitude.  And  when  he  had  risen  from 
the  dead,  she  was  the  first  bearer  of  the  glad  tidings 
to  his  chosen  apostles.  Surely  the  honor  conferred 
on  woman  by  Christ  at  the  opening  of  the  gospel  dis- 
pensation should  not  be  denied  her  in  the  later  devel- 
opment of  it. 

Does  not  this,  therefore,  point  to  another  field  for 

*  Howson,  p.  16. 


30  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

the  energy  and  zeal  of  female  disciples?  "The  har- 
vest truly  is  great,  but  the  laborers  are  few."  The 
commission  given  by  Christ  to  woman,  "  Go  and  tell 
my  disciples;"  "  J3e  not  afraid,  go,  tell  my  brethren," 
has  never  been  taken  from  her  by  divine  authority. 
God  intended  that  she  should  help  in  the  world's  evan- 
gelization. That  she  should  exercise  a  helpful  minis- 
try, teach  the  ignorant,  nurse  the  sick,  comfort  the 
afflicted,  drop  the  seed  of  divine  truth  into  the  wounds 
made  by  Sovereign  Love,  and  tell  tlie  glad  tidings  of 
the  Saviour's  resurrection  to  a  despondent  Church  and 
an  unbelieving  world. 


The  Women  of  the  Acts.  31 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  WOMEN  OF  THE  ACTS. 

Jesus  Christ,  after  his  resurrection,  told  his  dis- 
ciples "  that  they  should  not  depart  from  Jerusalem, 
but  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Father,  which,  saith 
he,  ye  have  heard  of  rae.  For  John  truly  baptized 
with  water;  but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  not  many  days  hence."  Acts  i,  4,  5.  As  many 
female  disciples  had  manifested  such  striking  lidelity 
and  sympathy  it  w^ould  be  expected  that  ready  obedi- 
ence to  Christ's  commands  would  characterize  them. 
As  Christ  had  conferred  such  great  honor,  and  admit- 
ted them  to  such  great  privileges,  we  would  expect 
they  would  be  found  waiting  the  fulfillment  of  the 
promise  and  would  share  in  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

Accordingly,  we  find  them  named  with  the  apostles 
who  were  waiting  with  one  accord  the  coming  of  the 
Comforter.  "  These  all  continued  with  one  accord  in 
prayer  and  supplication,  with  the  w^omen,  and  Mary 
the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  with  his  brethren."  Acts  i, 
14.  God  designed  that  they  should  share  in  the  perils 
and  labors  of  the  world's  evangelization  ;  they  must 
therefore  share  in  the  preparatory  baptism  absolutely 


32         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

essential  to  success.  Tliey  were  included  in  the  prom- 
ise of  the  Father  as  given  by  Joel :  "  I  will  pour  out 
my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  and  your  sons  and  your 
daughters  shall  prophesy."  Joel  ii,  26.  They  were 
also  included  in  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise,  for  God 
is  faithful  who  has  promised.  "  And  they  were  all 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  with 
other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance." 
Acts  ii,  4. 

The  particular  labors  of  these  women  who  received 
the  spiritual  baptism  are  not  given,  neither  are  those 
of  most  of  the  apostles.  It  is  in  harmony  with  the 
spirit  of  the  apostolic  Church  to  suppose  that  employ- 
ment was  found  for  all  the  activities  of  both  men  and 
women  who  were  specially  endowed  for  work  by  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Men  and  women  shared 
in  the  suffering  inflicted  by  persecution.  "  As  for 
Saul,  he  made  havoc  of  the  Church,  entering  into  every 
house,  and  haling  men  and  women  committed  them 
to  prison.  Therefore  they  that  were  scattered  abroad 
went  every- where  preaching  the  word."  Acts  viii,  3, 4. 

The  storms  of  persecution  are  only  winds  that  fan 
the  fire  of  faith,  and  carry  the  spark  of  truth  further 
to  those  beyond.  The  ashes  of  the  martyrs  is  the 
seed  of  the  Church. 

"  Flung  to  the  heedless  winds, 
Or  on  the  waters  cast, 
Their  ashes  shall  be  watched 
And  gathered  at  the  last; 


The  Women  of  the  Acts.  33 

And  from  tliat  scattered  dust, 

Around  us  and  abroad, 
Shall  spring  a  plenteous  seed 

Of  witnesses  for  God. 

"  Jesus  has  now  received 

Their  latest  living  breath ; 
Yet  vain  is  Satan's  boast 

Of  victory  in  their  death ; 
Still,  still,  though  dead,  they  speak, 

And,  trumpet-tongued,  proclaim 
To  many  a  wak'uing  land 

The  one  avaihng  Name." 

The  women  mentioned  in  the  above  passage  of 
Scripture  shared  in  the  faith  and  suffering;  did  they 
not  also  share  in  the  labor  ?  There  is  no  rule  of  in- 
terpretation that  would  lead  us  to  dissever  these  pas- 
sages or  to  disconnect  the  suffering  of  the  one  from 
the  preaching  of  the  other.  AYe  do  not  claim  that 
these  Christians  were  invested  with  any  ecclesiastical 
office.  The  Church  was  in  its  infancy.  Christ  had 
invested  the  apostles  with  divine  authority,  the  Church 
had  set  apart  for  a  special  purpose  the  seven  deacons, 
but  even  to  these  the  ministry  of  the  word  had  not 
been  primarily  intrusted.  Church  order  and  office 
came  later.  The  deacons,  some  of  them  at  least, 
preached ;  all  the  scattered  Church,  men  and  women, 
preached  because  God  was  in  them.  ''  They  labored 
as  evangelists,  wherever  they  came,  without  any  offi- 
cial obligation  or  any  express  authority.  They  were 
moved  by  the  inward  power  of  that  faith  which  can- 


34  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

not  but  speak  of  the  truth  of  which  the  heart  is  full ; 
they  were  influenced  by  the  Spirit,  with  whom  they 
had  been  anointed  ;  they  were  controlled  by  their  love 
of  the  Saviour,  to  whom  they  owed  the  remission  of 
their  sins  and  all  their  blessed  hopes.  This  propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  beyond  Jerusalem  was  not  the  work 
of  the  apostles  themselves,  but  of  other  Christians 
who  held  no  office  but  were  invested  with  the  general 
priesthood  of  believers.  According  to  human  concep- 
tions of  church  government  aud  the  ecclesiastical  office, 
such  a  course  should  not  have  been  adopted.  But  the 
Lord  of  the  Church  did  not  restrict  himself  to  the  apos- 
tolic office  wdiich  he  had  instituted,  in  such  a  manner 
that  no  work  could  be  legitimate,  acceptable  to  God, 
or  rich  in  promise  and  in  blessing,  unless  it  were  per- 
formed by  the  apostles.  Here,  too,  Christ  teaches  us 
that  no  human  being  and  no  Unite  ordinance  can  be 
regarded  as  necessary  and  absolutely  indispensable. 
He  alone  is  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  indispensa- 
ble.'' ^  From  among  these  laborers  came  the  offices 
of  deacons,  evangelists,  elders,  and  bishops,  being 
called  for  by  the  success  of  the  Church  and  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  times.  But  we  may  safely  infer  from 
this  that  the  voluntary  unofficial  work  of  the  Church 
should  not  be  superseded  by  those  who  hold  ecclesias- 
tical position. 

Dorcas.     This   devout    and  charitable  w^oman   is 
mentioned  in  Acts  ix,  36,  and  following  verses.    Little 

*  Lange,  Com. 


The  Women  of  the  Acts.  35 

is  known  of  her,  apart  from  lier  good  deeds  bj  wliicli 
slie  endeared  herself  to  all,  especially  those  who  were 
the  recipients  of  her  benefactions.  She  was  a  dis- 
ciple of  Christ,  connected  with  the  church  in  Joppa. 
Her  circumstances,  position  in  life,  and  family  connec- 
tions are  not  known,  but  some  facts  moi'e  important 
than  these  are  recorded.  She  had  heard  and  believed 
the  doctrine  of  Christ,  imbibed  his  spirit,  and  was 
identified  with  his  people.  She  was  a  deaconess  with- 
out the  name.  The  testimony  of  her  character  is  thus 
given  :  "  This  woman  was  fall  of  good  works  and  alms- 
deeds  which  she  did."  If  we  mistake  not,  this  testi- 
mony is  unique  ;  it  stands  alone  ;  and  thus  this  pious 
woman  is  peculiarly  honored  of  God.  In  liow^  many 
spheres  of  usefulness  her  energies  and  means  were  em- 
ployed we  know  not ;  but  she  was  "  full  of  good  works 
and  alms-deeds  which  she  did."  There  was  no  room 
for  more  ;  her  consecration  and  service  were  complete. 
Her  means,  talents,  time,  and  energies  were  all  em- 
ployed for  God.  Thus  early  did  the  Church  learn  to 
feed  the  hungry  and  clothe  the  naked.  In  primitive 
times  widows  formed  a  distinct  part  of  the  Christian 
community.  Dorcas  specially  cared  for  them.  She 
worked  for  Christ  when  she  made  garments  for 
the  poor.  She  honored  him  by  her  acts  of  devotion 
and  sacrifice.  "  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before 
God  and  the  Father  is  this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  and 
widows  in  their  affliction  and  to  keep  himself  unspot- 
ted from  the  world."   James  i,  27.     Christ  honored 


36         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

her  above  many.  She  died,  and  by  the  power  of 
Christ  Peter  raised  her  from  the  dead,  "  and  when  he 
had  called  the  saints  and  widows  he  presented  her 
alive."  Acts  ix,  41.  This  was  a  great  confirmation 
of  the  Gospel.  'No  doubt  her  remaining  days  were 
spent  in  zealous  labors  for  God  and  the  Church. 
"  Thus  was  a  richer  treasure  laid  up  for  her  in  heaven, 
and  she  afterward  returned  to  a  more  exceedino^  weio:ht 
of  glory  than  that  from  which  so  astonishing  a  provi- 
dence had  recalled  her  for  a  season."* 

Through  all  the  ages  Dorcas  is  honored  in  the 
Church  for  her  good  works,  and  her  name  is  perpet- 
uated in  those  societies  wdiich  have  been  organized  to 
clothe  the  poor  and  naked.  Her  name  is  as  oint- 
ment poured  forth,  and  her  example  furnishes  an 
undying  impulse  to  works  of  charity. 

The  Daughters  of  Philip.  "And  the  same  man 
had  four  daughters,  virgins,  which  did  prophesy." 
Acts  xxi,  9.  These  women  were  not  devoted  to  a 
life  of  celibacy  by  special  vows.  It  is  very  probable 
that  they  were  young,  as  the  great  activity  of  their 
father  Philip,  the  deacon  and  evangelist,  would  pre- 
clude the  idea  of  his  being  of  advanced  age.  "Their 
virginity  is  probably  referred  to  only  as  a  reason  for 
their  being  still  at  home,  and  not  as  having  any 
necessary  connection  with  their  inspiration."  f  Their 
inspiration  and  work  was  the  still  visible  fulfillment 
of  tlie    prophecy    of   Joel :    "  Your   sons   and   your 

*  Joseph  Benson,  D.D.  f  Alexander,  iu  luco. 


The  Women  of  the  Acts.  37 

daughters  shall  prophesy."  This  was  twenty  years 
after  the  Pentecostal  baptism,  and  could  not  be  at- 
tributed to  any  momentary  enthusiasm  enkindled  by 
that  event.  But  the  fact  that  four  daughters  in  one 
family  were  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  spe- 
cially endowed  with  the  gift  of  prophecy — inspired 
of  God  to  speak  to  the  edification  of  the  people — 
attests  the  high  spiritual  life  of  the  Church  and  the 
position  that  women  held  in  the  working  force  of 
apostolic  Christianity.  "  Probably  these  were  no 
more  than  teachers  in  the  Church ;  for  we  have  al- 
ready seen  that  this  is  a  frequent  meaning  of  the 
word  prophecy,  and  this  is  undoubtedly  one  thing 
intended  by  the  prophecy  of  Joel.  If  Philip's 
daughters  might  be  jproplietesses^  why  not  teach- 
ers f^"^  "  Tliat  predictive  powers  did  occasionally 
exist  in  the  New  Testament  prophets  is  proved  by 
the  case  of  Agabus,  Acts  xi,  28,  but  this  was  not 
their  characteristic.  The  prophets  of  tlie  New  Tes- 
tament were  supernaturally  illuminated  expounders 
and  preacliers."  f  If  this  is  true  of  the  prophets,  it 
is  also  true  of  the  prophetesses. 

''  The  home  of  the  evangelist  Philip,  whose  office 
as  a  deacon  expired  after  the  persecution  (Acts  viii), 
became,  in  consequence  of  the  fulfillment  of  the 
prophecy  of  Joel,  the  honored  central  point  of  the 
Christian  congregation  of  Cesarea.  His  four  daugh- 
ters, who  had  received  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  of 

*Adara  Clarke,  D.D.,  in  loco.  f  Smiili's  Did. 


38         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

interpretation,  and  who,  as  pure  virgins,  represent 
the  chastity  of  tlie  daughters  of  Zion,  furnish  new 
and  clear  evidence  that  all  believers  alike  enjoy  the 
privileges  of  children  ;  and  even  the  earlier  instances 
of  the  prophetesses  Miriam,  Deborah,  etc.,  prove  that 
there  is  no  difference  in  the  kingdom  of  grace  be- 
tween male  and  female."  *  "  There  is  neither  Jew 
nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is 
neither  male  nor  female:  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ 
Jesus."     Gal.  iii,  28. 

The  four  daughters  of  Philip  are  the  only  women 
specially  named  as  prophesying  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, but  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  these 
are  the  only  women  so  honored.  The  function  of 
"prophet"  in  the  New  Testament  and  early  Church 
was  a  distinguished  one,  and  is  now  only  beginning 
to  be  understood.  Important  as  it  is,  it  is  one 
which  St.  Peter's  speech  (Acts  ii)  and  the  narrative 
(Acts  XX i)  compel  us  to  acknowledge  was  exercised 
by  women.  This  fact  assumes  great  importance,  read 
in  connection  with  Paul's  wouds:  "And  are  built 
upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus 
Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone."  These 
were  New  Testament  prophets.  "  No  words  can  add 
to  the  solemnity  of  the  truth  thus  conveyed.  Eph.  ii, 
20.  In  so  far  as  regards  the  extraordinary  endowments 
of  the  Spirit  women  are  found  to  be  admitted  to  the 
rank  next  to  that  of  the  apostles."  f 

*Lange,  in  loco.  t  Dr.  Charteris,  Presb,  Review^  1888. 


The  Women  of  the  Acts.  39 

These  prophetesses  were  perpetuated  beyond  the 
apostolic  age.  Eusebius,  quoting  from  an  earher  au- 
tlior,  who  places  in  contrast  the  false  prophets  and 
prophetesses  carried  away  by  the  Montanist  heresy, 
says:  "After  stating  other  matters,  he  enumerates 
those  who  had  prophesied  under  the  New  Testament. 
Among  these  he  mentions  one  Ammias  and  Quad- 
ratus.  'But  the  false  prophet,'  says  he,  'is  carried 
away  by  a  vehement  ecstasy,  accompanied  by  want 
of  all  shame  and  fear.  Beginning,  indeed,  with  a 
designed  ignorance,  and  terminating,  as  before  said, 
in  involuntary  madness.  They  will  never  be  able 
to  show  that  an}'  of  the  Old  or  any  of  the  New 
Testament  were  thus  violently  as^itated  and  carried 
away  in  spirit,  neither  will  they  be  able  to  boast  that 
Agabus,  or  Judas,  or  Silas,  or  the  daughters  of  Philip, 
or  Ammias,  in  Philadelphia,  .  .  .  ever  acted  in  this 
way.' "  *  Here  prophesying  is  distinguished  from 
that  peculiar  frenzy  so  often  found  in  those  who 
falsely  assume  the  prophetic  office.  This  Philadel- 
phia prophetess  must,  have  lived  at  the  end  of  the 
second  century. 

*  Eusebius,  Ecd.  Hist,  Book  v,  c.  xvii. 


40         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


CHAPTER  lY. 

THE   WOMEN   OF    THE    EPISTLES. 

It  is  probable  tliat  the  churches  of  a230stolic 
times  were  all,  in  the  main,  constituted  alike.  Tliere 
were  Jews  and  Greeks,  bond  and  free,  male  and 
female,  with  variations  as  to  numbers,  wealth,  and 
social  position,  according  to  circumstances  and 
places.  We  can  easily  trace  these  facts  in  the 
epistles  of  St.  Paul.  His  allusion  to  his  fellow- 
helpers  and  fellow-sufferers  in  the  cause  of  Christ ; 
his  reflections  upon  the  defection  of  some,  and  his 
salutations  to  the  faithful  and  beloved,  reveal  to  us, 
at  least  in  part,  tlie  elements  that  constituted  the 
churches  to  which  he  wrote.  We  may  therefore 
conclude  that,  finding  female  workers  and  ofiicers  in 
one  church,  they  also  existed  in  others,  even  though 
they  may  not  be  specifically  named. 

The  sixteenth  chapter  of  Paul's  Epistle  to  the 
Romans  is  rich  in  allusions  to  the  pious  and  devoted 
women  that  came  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaint- 
ance and  labors. 

''  I  commend  unto  you  Phebe  our  sister,  which 
is  a  servant  of  the  church  which  is  at  Cenchrea  : 
that  ye  receive  her  in  the  Lord,  as  becometli  saints, 
and   that  ye   assist   her  in  whatsoever   business  she 


The  Women  of  the  Epistles.  41 

hath  need  of  jou  :  for  she  hath  been  a  succorer  of 
many,  and  of  myself  also."    Rom.  xvi,  1,  2. 

It  will  comport  better  with  om-  plan  to  consider 
the  character  and  office  of  Phebe  in  a  later  chapter. 
We  shall  therefore  proceed  to  the  other  names  here 
mentioned,  and  speak  of  their  labors  and  position  in 
the  Church.  Finding  other  w^omen  also  named  who 
were  helpers  of  the  apostle  in  his  labors  and  suffer- 
ings, but  who  did  not  occcupy  any  official  position, 
as  Phebe  did,  w^e  may  remark  that,  whatever  the 
functions  of  deaconesses  were,  in  the  ministrations 
of  charity,  or  in  the  arrangement  of  public  worship, 
they  had  nothing  in  them  that  would  exclude  the 
full  activities  of  other  female  disciples  to  whom  no 
title  was  applied. 

Immediately  after  his  commendation  of  Phebe 
Paul  says  :  "  Greet  Mary,  who  bestowed  much  labor 
on  us."  Rom.  xvi,  6.  "  Salute  Tryphena  and  Try- 
phosa,  who  labor  in  the  Lord."  "  Salute  the  beloved 
Persis,  which  labored  much  in  the  Lord."  And  in 
another  epistle  Paul  speaks  again  of  "those  women 
which  labored  with  me  in  the  Gospel."  Phil,  iv,  3. 
These  commendations  and  salutations  are  indicative 
of  great  activity  in  the  Church  on  the  part  of  these 
female  disciples.  Such  phrases  as  "  bestowed  much 
labor  on  us,"  "  who  labor  in  the  Lord,"  "  which  la- 
bored much  in  the  Lord,"  would  not  be  used  of  any 
ordinary  church  members,  or  in  reference  to  those  w^ho 
did  only  ordinary  church  work.     They  certainly  show 


42         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

that  these  pious  females  consecrated  time  and  talents 
to  God.  Their  work  or  position  in  the  Church  seemed 
not  to  depend  on  or  to  be  governed  by  their  social 
relations.  Some  of  them  were  married,  and  jet  in 
connection  with  the  marriage  tie  husband  and  wife 
in  sweetest  harmony  were  eminent  and  efficient  help- 
ers in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

"  Greet  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  my  helpers  in  Christ 
Jesus."  Rom.  xvi,  3.  Others,  no  doubt,  were  single, 
and  some  were  probably  widows.  The  social  relation 
seemed  not  to  be  a  barrier.  Consecration  to  God  is 
the  all-important  thing,  and  where  this  is  perfect  the 
energies  of  body  and  soul  will  find  an  outfluw  toward 
God  and  his  cause. 

"  Salute  Tryphena  and  Tryphosa,  who  labor  much 
in  tlie  Lord."  Rom.  xvi,  12.  These  names  are  men- 
tioned in  such  a  way  "as  to  convey  the  impression 
of  stated  systematic  work."  *  They  were  holy 
women,  who  were  assistants  to  the  apostle  in  his 
work,  probably  by  exhorting,  visiting  the  sick,  etc. 

Persis  also,  it  seems,  excelled  the  preceding ;  for 
of  her  it  is  said  "she  labored  much  in  the  Lord." 
"  We  learn  from  this  that  Christian  women,  as  well 
as  men,  labored  in  the  ministry  of  the  word.  In 
those  times  of  simplicity  all  persons,  whether  men 
or  women,  who  had  received  the  truth  believed  it  to 
be  their  duty  to  propagate  it  to  the  uttermost  of 
their  power.     Many  have  spent  much  useless  labor 

*  Howson,  p.  53. 


The  Women  of  the  Epistles.  43 

endeavoring  to  prove  that  these  women  did  not 
preach.  That  there  were  some  prophetesses  as  well 
as  prophets  in  tlie  Christian  Church  we  learn ;  and 
that  a  woman  might  praj  or  prophesy,  provided  she 
had  her  Ijead  covered,  we  know ;  and  that  whoever 
prophesied  spoke  nnto  others  to  edification,  exhorta- 
tion, and  comfort  St.  Paul  declares,  1  Cor.  xiv,  3. 
And  that  no  preacher  can  do  n:iore  every  person  must 
acknowledge,  because  to  edify,  exhort,  and  comfort 
are  the  prime  ends  of  the  Gospel  ministry.  If 
women  thus  prophesied^  then  women  preached. 
There  is,  however,  much  more  than  this  implied  in 
the  Christian  ministry,  of  which  men  only,  and  men 
called  of  God,  are  capable."  * 

With  this  comment  we  entirely  agree,  excepting 
only  the  last  sentence.  The  Scriptures  clearly  show 
that  women  bore  a  part  in  the  ministry  of  the  word. 
This  is  not  opinion,  or  inference,  but  direct  state- 
ment. What  there  is  in  the  Christian  ministry  of 
which  men  only  are  capable  Dr.  Clarke  does  not  tell 
us,  and  we  do  not  know. 

Thus  in  the  epistles  of  Paul  "  we  find  continued 
that  bright  chain  of  female  excellence,  beginning  with 
those  holy  women  who,  with  the  apostles,  followed 
the  Saviour  in  all  his  journeyings,  and  ministered  to 
him  of  their  substance  ;  the  Marys,  and  Joannas,  and 
Susannas  (Luke  viii,  2,  3),  and  which  then  links 
itself   on   to   the  above   mentioned    names   through 

*  Adam  Clarke,  D.D.,  in  loco. 


4i         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Dorcas,  full  of  good  works  and  alms-deeds  (x\cts  ix, 
36) ;  and,  above  all,  tlirougli  tliat  remarkable  person- 
age of  the  apostolic  age,  Priscilla,  the  wife  of  Aquila, 
the  Jew  of  Pontus,  wdiom  the  Acts  shows  us  with 
him,  expounding  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly  to 
Apollos  (Acts  xviii,  26) ;  the  husband  and  wife 
both  helpers  of  Paul  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  had  for  his 
life  laid  down  their  necks ;  unto  whom  not  only  he 
gave  thanks,  but  also  all  the  churches  of  the  Gentiles. 
Rom.  xvi,  3,  4.  The  female  diaconate  must,  there- 
fore, have  been,  from  the  first,  like  every  other  office 
in  the  Christian  Church,  only  the  full  developed  type, 
and  not  the  exceptional  monopoly  of  a  woman's  func- 
tion and  work."  * 

*  Ludlow,  Woman's  Wui%  p.  7. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Apostolic  Church.       45 


CHAPTER  Y. 

DEACONESSES  OF  THE  APOSTOLIC  CHURCH. 

It  has  long  been  known  to  scholars  wlio  have  given 
attention  to  the  Holy  Scriptnres  and  Church  history, 
that  the  office  of  deaconess  belonged  to  the  Church  in 
apostolic  and  primitive  times.  Because  of  defection 
from  the  simplicity  and  purity  of  those  times  it  soon 
passed  out  of  use,  or  was  merged  into  those  unnatural 
monastic  organizations  so  prevalent  in  mediaeval  days. 
And  such  have  been  the  customs  and  prejudices  for 
centuries  past  against  a  principal  or  public  sphere  for 
woman  that  her  true  position  has  been  denied  her,  to 
the  great  loss  of  the  Church  and  the  hinderance  of 
the  work  of  God. 

We  will  examine  those  passages  in  the  apostolic 
writings  on  which  the  claim  for  a  female  diaconate 
is  based. 

"  I  commend  unto  you  Phebe  our  sister,  which  is 
a  servant  of  the  church  which  is  at  Cenchrea."  Rom. 
xvi,  1.  The  Greek  word  (didnovov)  which  the  trans- 
lators of  the  English  version  here  rendered  "  servant" 
was  rendered  ''  deacon,"  in  Phil,  i,  1 ;  1  Tim.  iii,  2,  8, 
and  in  other  portions  of  the  apostolic  writings.  If 
the  same  translation  had  been  followed  here  as  in  the 


4:6  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modeen. 

above,  the  passage  would  Lave  read,  "  I  com  mend  unto 
you  Phebe  our  sister,  which  is  a  deacon  of  the  church 
which  is  at  Cenchrea."  In  that  case,  the  name,  at 
least,  of  the  female  diaconate  would  have  been  famil- 
iar to  us  now. 

Variations  in  the  translation  of  the  same  original 
Greek  vvords  have  led  to  confusion  of  ideas  in  the 
minds  of  the  readers  of  the  English  version,  and 
long  usage  has  ci'eated  strong  prejudices  against  any 
change. 

As  to  the  official  position  which  Phebe  occupied 
in  the  church  at  Cenchrea  we  condense  the  following 
points  from  McClintock  and  Strong :  "  What  is  said 
of  her  (Phebe)  is  worthy  of  especial  notice,  because 
of  its  bearing  on  the  question  of  the  deaconesses  of 
the  apostolic  Church.  On  this  point  we  have  to 
observe  (1.)  th-it  the  term  [6idKr>vo(;)  here  applied  to 
her,  though  not  in  itself  necessarily  an  official  term, 
is  the  term  which  would  be  applied  to  her  if  it  were 
meant  to  be  official ;  (2.)  that  this  term  is  applied  in 
the  Aj)Osiolical  Constitutions  to  women  who  minis- 
tered officially,  the  deaconess  being  called  ^  dtaKovog 
as  the  deacon  is  called  6  didKovog ;  (3.)  that  it  is  now 
generally  admitted  that  in  1  Tim.  iii,  11,  Paul  applies 
it  so  himself ;  (4.)  that  in  the  passage  before  us 
Phebe  is  called  the  didicovog  of  a  particular  church, 
which  seems  to  imply  a  specific  employment;  (5.) 
that  the  church  at  Cenchrea  to  which  she  belonged 
could  only  have  been  a  small  church  ;  wlience  we  may 


Deaconesses  of  the  Apostolic  Church.      47 

draw  a  fiiir  conclusion  as  to  what  was  customary  in 
the  matter  of  such  female  ministrations  in  the  larger 
churches  ;  (6.)  that,  wliatever  her  errand  in  Rome 
might  be,  the  independent  manner  of  her  going 
there  seems  to  imply  (especially  when  we  consider 
the  secluded  habits  of  Greek  women)  not  only  that 
she  was  a  widow,  or  a  woman  of  mature  age,  but  that 
she  was  acting  officially ;  (7.)  that  she  had  already 
been  of  great  service  to  Paul  and  others,  either  by 
her  wealth  or  her  energy,  or  botli ;  a  statement  which 
closely  corresponds  with  the  description  of  the  quali- 
fications of  the  enrolled  widows  in  1  Tim.  v,  10; 
(8.)  that  the  duty  which  we  here  see  Phebe  discharg- 
ing implies  a  personal  character  worthy  of  confidence 
and  respect.''  ^ 

The  word  di,diiovog  is  inclusive  of  both  sexes.  It 
is  very  generally  conceded  that  in  Rom.  xvi,  1,  it  is 
applied  to  Phebe  in  its  technical  sense  as  denoting  an 
office,  though  Conybeare  says  it  cannot  be  "confidently 
asserted,  especially  as  the  word  diaKovog  is  so  constantly 
used  in  its  non-technical  sense  of  one  who  ministers 
in  any  way  to  others."  f  Some  are  of  the  opinion 
that  the  female  deacon  is  more  frequently  mentioned 
in  Scripture  than  the  male  deacon  by  the  official 
title :  "  We  observe  that  when  any  of  the  seven  are 
referred  to  it  is  never  by  the  title  of  deacon  ;  thus 
Philip  is  called  '  the  evangelist.'  (Actsxxi,  8).":j:    "It 

*  McClintock  and  Strong's  Ency.,  art.  "Phoebe." 
f  Life  of  Paul,  vol.  i,  p.  435.  \  Ibid. 


48         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

is  worth  remarking  that  Phebe  is  called  a  deaconess, 
but  that  Stephen  is  never  called  a  deacon.  And 
further,  if  Phil,  i,  1,  does  include  deacons  of  both 
kinds  the  '  woman-deacon '  is  actually  mentioned  oft- 
ener  in  Scripture  by  the  official  title  than  the  '  man- 
deacon.'  "  * 

If  the  term  diciKovog  is  here  applied  to  Phebe  to 
designate  an  office,  then  she  has  tlie  distinguished 
honor  of  being  the  first  in  the  order  of  time  to  whom 
it  was  thus  applied ;  the  Epistle  to  tlie  Komans,  in 
which  it  is  applied  to  Phebe,  being  assigned  to  A.  D. 
58,  while  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians,  in  which  it 
is  applied  to  deacons  of  both  kinds,  probably,  is  as- 
signed to  A.  D.  62. 

Of  the  social  position  and  character  of  Phebe, 
Conybeare  says :  "  She  was  a  widow  of  consideration 
and  wealth  who  acted  as  one  of  the  deaconesses  of 
the  Church,  and  was  now  about  to  sail  to  Rome  upon 
some  private  business,  apparently  connected  with  a 
law-suit  in  which  she  was  engaged."  f  Phebe  was 
a  woman  of  importance  and  social  standing.  She  did 
not  occupy  any  menial  position  in  the  church  at 
Cenchrea,  was  no  mere  "door-keeper  or  cleaner  of 
the  place  of  worship,"  as  Dr.  W.  L.  Alexander  main- 
tains, but  held  a  more  honorable  position,  and  dis- 
charged both  secular  and  spiritual  functions. 

She  had  "  business"  at  the  capital  of  the  empire, 
and  such  a  journey  meant  considerable  expense.     She 

*Ho\vson,  p.  58.  \  Life  of  Paul,  vol.  ii,  p.  154, 


Deaconesses  of  the  Apostolic  Church.      49 

had  been  a  snccorer  of  many,  and  tliis  is  to  be  under- 
stood in  the  sense  of  patronage  and  protection  ;  serv- 
ice performed  by  a  superior  to  an  inferior.  At 
Cenchrea  she  was  a  deaconess  of  the  Church,  and 
Paul  guarantees  the  genuineness  of  her  faith  when  he 
calls  her  "  our  sister."  She  had  stood  by  him  in  some 
hour  of  need,  and,  perhaps,  had  entertained  and 
sheltered  him  under  her  own  hospitable  roof  at  the 
time  when  he  made  a  vow  at  Cenchrea  and  seemed  to 
have  had  a  great  deliverance,  and  had  used  her  influ- 
ence and  wealth  for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of 
Christ. 

Paul's  commendation  is  strong  and  beautiful : 
*'  That  ye  receive  lier  in  the  Lord  as  becometh  saints ; 
and  that  ye  assist  her  in  whatsoever  business  she 
hath  need  of  you  :  for  she  hath  been  a  succorer  of 
many,  and  of  myself  also."  She  is  here  commended 
for  her  energy,  liberality,  and  fidelity.  Surely  she 
was  a  worthy  office-bearer  in  the  Church  of  God. 

In  speaking  of  the  women  of  the  epistles  we  pur- 
posely omitted  tlie  name  of  Priscilla,  giving  only 
Paul's  greeting,  thinking  that  a  more  appropriate 
place  for  her  would  be  with  Phebe,  the  deaconess ;  as 
many  eminent  scholars  believe  that  she  held  that  po- 
sition, and  even  if  she  did  not  bear  the  name  she  evi- 
dently performed  the  functions  of  that  office.  Her 
connection  with  Paul  and  the  Church  continued 
through  many  years.  Slie  is  first  named  in  Acts  xviii, 
1,  18.     Paul,  having  come  from  Athens  to  Corinth, 


50         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

found  a  temporary  residence  with  Aqnila  and  Pris- 
cilla  on  account  of  oneness  of  faith  or  occupation,  as 
thej  were  all  "  tent-makers." 

Again,  in  Acts  xviii,  24,  29,  she  is  named  as  residing 
in  Ephesus.  Here  she  found  Apollos,  "an  eloquent 
man  and  mighty  in  the  Scriptures,"  who  "  tanght  dili- 
gently the  things  of  the  Lord,  knowing  only  the  bap- 
tism of  John,  .  .  .  whom,  when  Aquila  and  Priscilla 
had  heard,  they  took  him  unto  them  and  expounded 
unto  him  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly." 

We  need  not  wonder  at  the  superior  knowledge  of 
Priscilla  and  Aquila.  For  eighteen  months  they 
heard  Paul  in  Corinth  ;  night  and  day  they  labored, 
prayed,  searched  the  Scriptures,  and  taught  together, 
in  the  synagogue,  in  the  workshop,  and  in  the  house. 
They  w^ere  well-instructed  Christians,  having  been 
tauglit  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  by  Paul.  Perhaps 
Apollos  knew  nothing  of  the  doctrine  of  atonement, 
the  resurrection  of  Christ,  or  the  outpcuring  of  the 
Spirit  at  Pentecost.  "  They  took  him  unto  them,"  to 
their  home,  not  publicly  disputing  in  the  synagogue. 
Tliey  showed  him  kindness,  treated  him  with  consid- 
eration, and  then  ''  instructed  him."  Here  was 
woman's  tact  and  kindness.  "  Love  me  and  then  say 
what  thou  wilt."  "  This  eloquent  man,  and  mighty  in 
the  Scriptures,  who  was  even  a  public  teacher,  was  not 
ashamed  to  be  indebted  to  the  instructions  of  a  Chris- 
tian woman^  in  matters  that  not  only  concerned  his 
own  salvation,  but 'also  the  work  of  the  ministry,  in 


Deaconesses  of  the  Apostolic  Church.      51 

which  he  was  eno^asjed.  It  is  disojracefal  to  a  man  to 
be  ignorant  when  he  may  acquire  wisdom ;  but  it  is 
no  disgrace  to  acquire  wisdom  from  the  meanest 
person  or  tiling.  The  adage  is  good  :  Despise  not 
advice,  even  of  the  meanest ;  the  gaggling  of  geese 
preserved  the  Koman  State."  * 

The  above  quotation  is  somewhat  curious,  and  the 
inference  drawn  as  to  the  liumility  of  Apollos  is  strik- 
ing. Perhaps  it  would  have  been  more  pertinent  in 
the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era,  considering  the 
seclusion  of  both  Jewish  and  Grecian  women  ;  but 
aversion  to  instruction  from  women  in  the  Christian 
Church  did  not  exist  in  apostolic  times,  as  it  did  later, 
and  evidently  it  lingered  in  the  early  part  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  as  Dr.  Clarke  seemed  to  regard  it  as  a 
great  virtue  for  Apollos  to  submit  to  be  instructed  by 
Priscilla.  Yea,  it  lingers  now!  But  surely  the  clouds 
are  being  lifted  from  the  intellect  of  woman,  and  the 
fetters  are  being  taken  from  her,  when  one  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand  women  are  employed  as  teachers 
in  the  United  States  alone  (1889). 

In  Priscilla,  we  have  an  illustration  of  what  the 
married  woman  can,  in  connection  with  home  duties, 
do  in  the  general  service  of  the  Church.  Such  female 
ministrations  were  of  great  importance  in  the  state  of 
society  in  whose  midst  the  early  Christian  communi- 
ties were  formed.  The  remarks  of  Archdeacon  Evans 
on  the  position  of  Timothy  at  Ephesus  are  ^i^x^^  just: 

*  Adam  Clarke,  D.D.,  in  loco. 


62         Deaconesses,  Anciext  and  Modeen. 

"In  liis  dealings  with  the  female  part  of  his  flock, 
which  in  that  time  and  country  required  peculiar  del- 
icacy and  discretion,  the  counsel  of  the  experienced 
Priscilla  would  be  invaluable.  Where,  for  instance, 
could  he  obtain  more  prudent  and  faithful  advice  than 
hers  in  the  selection  of  widows  to  be  placed  upon  the 
eleemosynary  list  of  the  Church,  and  of  deaconesses 
for  the  ministry  ?" 

Eternity  alone  will  reveal  the  good  accomplished  by 
this  godly  couple.  They  are  identified  with  Paul  in 
the  stormiest  period  of  his  life.  They  had  "a  church 
in  their  house,"  and  while  Paul  preached  daily  in  the 
synagogue,  market,  or  in  "  the  school  of  Tyrannus," 
Priscilla  gave  private  instruction,  and  taught  the  new 
converts  "  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly." 

From  Rom.  xvi,  3,  4,  we  learn  that  they  had  again 
returned  to  Rome,  and  Paul  sends  them  his  Christian 
greetings:  ''"Greet  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  my  helpers 
in  Christ  Jesus :  who  have  for  my  life  laid  down  their 
own  necks :  unto  whom  not  only  I  give  thanks,  but 
also  all  the  churches  of  the  Gentiles."  In  Rome  also 
they  had  gathered  "  a  church  in  their  house,"  an  in- 
dication of  labor  and  zeal.  This  salutation  is  one  of 
the  warmest  outbursts  of  affection  found  in  the  epis- 
tles of  Paul.  They  had  at  some  time  endangered 
their  lives  to  save  his,  and  this  act  of  heroism  w\as  a 
matter  of  thanksgiving  on  the  part  of  all  thj  Gentile 
churches. 

Eight  or  ten  years  later  we  again  get  a  glimpse  of 


Deaconesses  of  the  Apostolic  Church.      53 

this  devoted  husband  and  wife.  Paul  is  now  at  Rome 
under  condemnation  of  death,  "  ready  to  be  offered," 
and  the  time  of  his  departure  at  hand.  He  writes  to 
his  "dearly  beloved  son,"  Timothy,  a  farewell  letter, 
and  sends  his  final  salutations  to  "  Priscilla  and 
Aquila."  "There  they  disappear.  Probably  they 
survived  Paul,  growing  older  and  older,  let  us  hope, 
side  by  side,  and  in  their  deaths  not  long  divided. 
They  saw  him  face  to  face  no  more.  But  we  imagine 
them  visiting  togetlier  the  scene  of  the  apostle's  exe- 
cution and  his  humble  grave  ;  and  we  see  theui  living 
to  tell  a  succeeding  generation  of  tliat  feeble  bodily 
presence  and  the  might}^  soul  within  it,  of  that  stam- 
mering speech  which,  nevertheless,  penetrated  men's 
minds  by  its  directness  and  melted  their  hearts  by  its 
fire."* 

The  names  already  quoted  from  the  writings  of 
Paul  will  suffice  to  show  that  the  employment  of 
women  in  the  public  and  private  work  of  the  Church 
was  quite  common  in  apostolic  times,  and  that  some 
of  them,  at  least,  have  official  designations.  It  is  evi- 
dent also  that  they  did  their  work  well  and  met  wisely 
and  heroically  the  claims  the  Church  had  on  them, 
meriting  and  receiving  high  apostolic  commendations. 

There  are  some  passages  in  the  pastoral  epistles 
that  are  supposed  by  many  of  the  best  scholars  to  have 
some  bearing  upon  the  subject  of  apostolic  deaconesses. 
In  the  first  epistle  to  Timothy  the  apostle  tells  what 

*  Minor  Characters^  p.  83. 


54:         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

a  Cliristian  bishop  and  deacon  slionld  be.  He  says  : 
''  A  bishop  then  must  be  blameless,  the  husband  of  one 
wife,  vigilant,  sober,  of  good  behavior,  given  to  hospi- 
tality, a23t  to  teach  ;  not  given  to  wine,  no  striker,  not 
greedy  of  filthy  lucre;  but  patient,  not  a  brawler, 
not  covetous ;  one  that  ruletli  well  his  own  house,  hav- 
ing his  children  in  subjection  with  all  gravity."  Then, 
speaking  of  the  deacons,  he  says  :  "  Likewise  must  the 
deacons  be  grave,  not  double-tongued,  not  given  to 
much  wine,  not  gi*eedy  of  filthy  lucre.  .  .  .  Even  so 
must  their  wives  (yvvalKag)  be  grave,  not  slanderers, 
sober,  faithful  in  all  things.  Let  the  deacons  be  the 
husbands  of  one  wife,  ruling  their  children  and  their 
own  houses  well."     1  Tim.  iii,  2-12. 

It  will  seem  strange,  even  to  the  ordinary  reader, 
that  while  special  injunctions  are  given  to  the  deacon^ 
wives  there  is  none  given  to  the  wives  of  bishops.  It 
has  been  observed  by  some  that,  "  whereas  if  the  exam- 
ple of  a  deacon's  w^fe  be  of  sufficient  moment  to  de- 
serve a  special  apostolic  exhortation,  that  of  a  bishop's 
wife  must  need  it  far  more."*  Therefore  some  have 
referred  "  their  waives  "  to  the  bishops  as  well  as  the 
deacons.  This  view  is  not  considered  tenable  by  the 
best  scholarship.  "  Two  meanings  only  appear  to  have 
been  put  upon  this  passage  till  the  Reformation  :  one 
which  referred  it  to  w^omen  generally,  the  other  which 
referred  it  to  the  female  diaconate."t  Against  the 
first  view  there  are  strong  objections.  Chrysostom 
*  Ludlow,  p.  4.  f  Ibid. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Apostolic  Chukch.      55 

says:  "Some  say  that  this  is  spoken  of  women  gener- 
allj" ;  but  it  is  not  so.  For  why  should  lie  have  thrown 
in  something  about  women  amongst  the  things  which 
he  had  been  saying  ?  But  he  speaks  of  tliose  who  have 
the  dignity  of  the  diaconate."  On  this  Dr.  Adam 
Clarke  observes  :  "  Whatever  is  spoken  here  becomes 
women  in  general,  but  if  the  apostle  had  those  termed 
deaconesses  in  his  eye,  which  is  quite  possible,  the 
words  are  peculiarly  suitable  to  them.  .  .  .  Possibly, 
therefore,  the  apostle  may  have  had  this  order  of  dea- 
conesses in  view,  to  whom  it  was  as  necessary  to  give 
counsels  and  cautions  as  to  the  deacons  themselves; 
and  to  prescribe  their  qualifications,  lest  improper 
persons  should  insinuate  themselves  into  that  office."* 
That  these  instructions  were  given  in  regard  to  the 
women  deacons  can  be  supported  by  the  best  scholar- 
ship in  the  English  tongue.  Bishop  Ellicott,  Dean 
Alford,  and  Dr.  Wordsworth,  whom  Dean  Howson 
says  are  "the  three  best  modern  English  commenta- 
tors on  the  pastoral  epistles,"  take  this  view.  How- 
son  himself  says  :  "  We  hold  it  almost  certain  that  a 
candid  and  thoughtful  student,  looking  carefully  over 
the  whole  ground,  and  taking  in  his  hand  the  light  ob- 
tained from  the  facts  of  the  early  Church,  will  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  ^female  diaconate  is  here  im- 
plied— an  order  of  deaconesses  working  co-ordinately 
with  the  deacons,  though,  of  course,  less  prominently 
and  publicly."t  He  also  says  "  that  the  setting  apart 
*  Adam  Clarke,  D.D.,  in  loco,  \  Howson,  p.  58. 


56         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

of  women  as  deaconesses,  so  far  as  the  Bible  is  con- 
cerned, rests  on  the  same  kind  of  foundation  as  the 
observance  of  Sabbath  on  Sunday  or  the  practice  of 
infant  baptism."  * 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  order  of  God  that  men 
and  women  should  work  side  by  side  in  advancing 
tlie  interests  of  his  kingdom  and  in  bringing  the 
blessed  ministries  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to  the 
hearts  and  homes  of  men.  ''  Deaconesses  working  co- 
ordinately  with  the  deacons."  None  can  tell  how 
much  good  the  world  has  lost,  or  how  much  evil  it 
has  suffered,  by  the  infringement  of  the  order  of  God 
in  setting  aside  this  arrangement,  founded  in  reason 
and  demanded  by  the  nature  and  condition  of  man- 
kind. 

In  every  age  and  under  all  conditions  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  creates  benevolent  impulses  in  the  human 
lieart.  Christian  women  have  ever  felt  them,  and  if 
allowed  would  have  given  them  outward  form  conso- 
nant with  the  will  of  God  and  the  wants  of  the  times ; 
but  men  thought  they  must  be  restricted  and  curbed, 
and  so  laid  out  certain  channels  in  which  they  should 
run,  and  the  result  shows  that  men  lacked  wisdom  and 
grace  to  guide  them. 

*  Howson,  p.  58. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Church.         57 


CHAPTER  YL 

DEACONESSES  OF  THE  EARLY  CHURCH. 

We  now  leave  the  Cliurch  directed  and  presided 
over  by  the  apostles,  and  look  at  it  as  it  existed  in 
the  ages  immediately  succeeding  them.  All  change 
in  the  working  and  organization  of  the  Church  was 
gradual.  It  must  have  been  much  the  same  for  many 
years  after  the  death  of  John  as  it  was  in  the  times  of 
Paul.  Changes  would  occur  as  civilization  changed 
and  as  the  exigency  of  the  times  required. 

We  have  seen  that  the  primitive  diaconate  consisted 
of  two  co-ordinate  branches,  male  and  female.  It  is, 
indeed,  a  question  whether  there  was  not  a  greater 
call  for  the  labors  of  the  deaconess  than  for  those  of 
the  deacon,  because  of  the  peculiar  customs  of  the 
people  and  age  in  which  Christianity  had  its  origin. 
So  that,  as  IS'eander  says,  "  this  service  of  women  had 
a  special  ground  in  the  circumstances  of  the  times." 
Females  among  the  Jews,  Greeks,  and  Romans  lived 
in  greater  seclusion  than  is  customary  in  Europe  or 
America.  The  spread  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  would 
have  been  long  delayed  without  this  female  agency. 
The  customs  of  the  East  have  not  changed  much  even 
to  our  own  time.     The  great  want  of  our  missions  in 


58         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Mcdeen. 

Oriental  countries  to-daj  is  more  consecrated  females, 
who  can  gain  access  to  the  homes  of  Moliammedan 
and  Hindoo  women.  Men  can  never  go  where  they 
are,  and  they  cannot  and  will  not  come  to  hear  the 
Gospel  from  the  lips  of  men,  and  without  w^oman  the 
Orient  will  he  covered  with  a  pall  of  night  for  ages 
to  come.  For  this  reason  they  were  employed  in  the 
early  Church.  The  apostles,  acting  under  divine  au- 
thority, adapted  the  means  to  the  end  sought  and  to 
the  exigency  of  the  times.  More  ecclesiastical  flexi- 
bility is  what  has  been  needed  in  all  the  ages  since. 
"  Thus  w^e  find  the  deaconess  a  conspicuous  figure  in 
the  early  Church,  side  by  side  with  the  deacon.  And 
it  is  by  this  parallelism  that  we  shall  probably  appre- 
hend her  position  most  correctly."  * 

The  deacon  of  the  earliest  Christian  times  was  not 
such  as  is  now  found  in  the  modern  Church.  In  Pres- 
byterian and  Congregational  Churches  the  deacon  is 
an  officer  who  assists  the  minister  in  various  duties, 
but  does  not  preach.  In  the  Church  of  England,  the 
Protestant  Episcopal,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Churches  a  deacon  is  an  officer  who  is  authorized  to 
administer  baptism,  to  perform  the  marriage  cere- 
mony, and  to  assist  the  elder  in  the  administration  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  but  who  is  not  authorized  to  con- 
secrate the  elements.  Ilis  duties  are  thus  s])ecified  in 
the  ordination  service:  "It  appertaineth  to  the  office 
of  a  deacon  to  assist  the  elder  in  divine  service.     And 

*  Howson,  p.  34. 


DEACONESbES    OF    THE    EaRLY    ChURCH.  59 

especially  wlien  he  administers  the  holy  communion  to 
help  him  in  the  distribution  thereof,  and  to  read  and 
expound  the  holy  Scriptures ;  to  instruct  the  youth 
and  to  baptize.  And,  furthermore,  it  is  his  office  to 
search  for  the  sick,  poor,  and  impotent,  that  they  may 
be  visited  and  relieved."  The  office  in  the  Episcopal 
Churches  is  probably  more  ministerial  than  it  was  at 
first.  There  was  a  greater  difference  between  the 
deacon  and  the  presbyter  in  the  first  ages  than  now. 
The  specific  duties  of  visiting  and  relieving  the  poor 
are  not  performed  by  the  deacon  more  than  by  the 
presbyter.  As  a  rule,  the  deacon  is  a  young  minister, 
in  the  first  or  second  year  of  his  ordination,  who  ex- 
pects at  the  end  of  the  term  to  be  ordained  a  presby- 
ter or  elder  in  the  Church  of  God.  '"  The  primitive 
deacons  were  half  laymen,  and  such  was  the  position 
of  the  primitive  deaconesses."  *  At  a  later  period 
the  deacons  assumed  greater  prerogatives  and  mani- 
fested great  ambition,  which  called  forth  the  condem- 
nation of  the  councils  of  the  Church. 

It  is  a  disputed  point  whether  the  diaconate  arose 
from  the  appointment  of  the  "  seven,"  as  narrated  in 
the  sixth  chapter  of  Acts,  or  whether  it  did  not  arise 
earlier  even  than  that.  Mosheim  says  :  ••'  The  Church 
was  undoubtedly  provided  from  the  beginning  with 
inferior  ministers  or  deacons.  No  society  can  be  with- 
out its  servants,  and  still  less  such  societies  as  those  of 
the  first  Christians  were.     And  it  appears  not  only 

*  Hovvson,  p.  34. 


60         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


probable,  but  evident,  that  the  young  men  who  car- 
ried away  the  dead  bodies  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira 
were  the  subordinate  ministers,  or  deacons,  of  the 
church  at  Jerusalem,  who  attended  the  apostles  to 
execute  their  orders."  * 

As  to  the  particular  time  when  this  office  originated 
in  the  apostolic  Church,  it  matters  not ;  it  was  insti- 
tuted under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  apostles 
themselves.  We  adopt  the  following  conclusion : 
"  Whatever  view  may  be  taken  of  Acts  vi,  it  appears 
clear  that  the  later  Church  office  (Phil,  i ;  1  Tim.  iii) 
developed  itself  from  the  office  designated  in  Acts  vi, 
and  may  be  traced  back  to  it.  The  functions  of  the 
deacon  w^ere  primarily  secular,  but  soon  rose  into  spir- 
itual importance.  Hence  the  moral  qualifications  de- 
scribed (1  Tim.  iii)  as  necessary  for  the  office  of  deacon 
are  substantially  the  same  as  those  of  the  bishop."  f 
The  organization  of  each  Church,  as  Christianity 
spread,  was  much  the  same.  "  All  the  Christian 
Churches  followed  the  example  of  that  at  Jerusalem, 
in  whatever  related  to  the  choice  and  office  of  the 
deacons.  Some,  particularly  the  Eastern  Churches, 
elected  deaconesses^  and  chose  for  that  purpose  ma- 
trons or  widows  of  eminent  sanctity,  who  also  minis- 
tered to  the  necessities  of  the  poor,  and  performed 
several  other  offices  that  tended  to  the  maintenance 
of  order  and  decency  in  the   Church."  %     Widows 

*  Ecd.  Hist,  vol.  i,  p.  102.  f  McClintock  and  Strong. 

X  Moslieim,  Hist,  vol.  i,  p.  102. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Church.         61 

were  not  always  chosen,  either  in  the  apostolic  or 
post-apostolic  Churches,  for  the  office  of  deaconess. 
"  They  seem  to  have  been  divided  into  two  chisses, 
not  very  precisely  distinguished  from  one  another; 
one  class  of  older  women,  one  of  younger."  ^  "Wid- 
ows were  preferred,  and  especially  widows  who  had 
been  mothers  and  educators  of  children.  For  this 
Tertullian  gives  the  following  reason  :  "  In  order,  for- 
sooth, that  their  experimental  training  in  all  the 
affections  may,  on  the  one  hand,  have  rendered  them 
capable  of  readily  aiding  all  others  with  counsel  and 
comfort,  and  that,  on  the  other,  they  may  none  the 
less  have  traveled  down  the  whole  course  of  probation 
whereby  a  female  may  be  tested."  f 

The  deacons  and  deaconesses  were  chosen  or  elected 
by  the  main  body  of  the  membership,  and  this  course 
of  procedure  has  the  apostolic  sanction.  "  Wherefore, 
brethren,  look  ye  out  among  you  seven  men  of  hon- 
est report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  wisdom,  whom 
we  may  appoint  over  this  business."  The  seven  were 
thus  chosen,  ''  whom  they  set  before  the  apostles : 
and  when  they  had  prayed,  they  laid  their  hands  on 
them."  Acts  vi,  3-6.  The  deacons  were  chosen  by 
the  brethren  and  ordained  by  prayer  and  the  imposi- 
tion of  hands  by  the  apostles.  We  have  no  reason  to 
suppose  but  that  deacons  and  deaconesses  were  chosen 
and  set  apart  for  their  work  in  the  same  way.  In  the 
early  Church  all  officers  were  thus  promoted  by  the 

*  Howson,  p.  34.  f  Tert.,  Veil.  Vir.,  c.  ix. 

5 


62         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

concurrent  acts  of  tlie  menjbersliip  and  clergy,  "  wliicli 
was  according  to  the  example  of  the  apostles  and 
apostolic  preachers,  who  in  the  first  plantation  of  the 
churches  ordained  bishops  (presbyters)  and  deacons 
with  the  consent  of  the  whole  Church."  * 

If  deacons  were  at  first  only  chosen  to  attend  to 
certain  temporalities  of  the  Church  it  is  evident  that 
some  of  them,  at  least,  began  almost  immediately  to 
discharge  spiritual  functions,  and  so  the  sphere  of  their 
activities  became  at  once  enlarged.  Stephen  is  an 
eminent  example.  He  boldly  proclaimed  the  truth 
of  God,  and  his  enemies  "  were  not  able  to  resist  the 
wisdom  and  the  spirit  by  which  he  spake."  Acts  vi, 
10.  He  also  sealed  the  truth  with  his  blood,  and 
became  the  first  martyr  of  the  Cliristian  Church. 
Philip,  also  one  of  the  seven,  became  a  noted  and 
successful  evangelist.  Dr.  Thomas  Scott  says  :  ''  The 
deacons  were  prnnarily  appointed  to  dispense  the 
charity  of  the  Church  and  to  manage  its  secular  con- 
cerns ;  yet  they  preached  occasionally  or  taught  in 
private,  or  were  readers  in  the  public  assemblies,  and 
pastors  and  evangelists  were  chosen  from  among 
them."  t 

Admitting  that  the  seven  were  ordained  by  the 
apostles  to  a  specific  secular  work  (Acts  vi),  it  is  easy 
to  trace  the  expansion  of  the  work  into  a  higher  and 
a  spiritual  sphere.  "  The  possession  of  any  special 
Xdpiojia  (spiritual  endowment)   would   lead  naturally 

*  King's  Prim.  Ch.,  p.  41.  •)•  Scott's  Com.,  1  Tim.  iii. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Church.         63 

to  a  higher  work  and  office,  but  the  idea  that  the  diac- 
onate  was  but  a  probation  through  which  a  man  had 
to  pass  before  he  could  be  an  elder  or  bishop  was 
foreign  to  the  constitution  of  the  Church  of  the  first 
century."  "^  The  fathers  in  the  early  post-apostolic 
Church  very  frequently  refer  to  them  as  those  who 
preach  the  word  of  life,  and  they  are  associated  with 
the  presbyters  as  having  authority.  Poly  carp,  the 
disciple  of  John,  says  :  "  Wherefore,  it  is  needful  to 
abstain  from  all  these  things,  being  subject  to  the 
presbyters  and  deacons  as  unto  God  and  Christ.  The 
virgins  also  must  walk  in  a  blameless  and  pure  con- 
science." f 

Also,  in  the  epistle  attributed  to  Ignatius,  contem- 
porary with  Folycarp :  "  I  exhort  you  to  study  to  do 
all  things  with  a  divine  harmony  while  your  bishop 
presides  in  the  place  of  God,  and  your  presbyters  in 
the  place  of  the  assembly  of  the  apostles  along  with 
your  deacons  who  are  most  dear  to  me,  and  are  in- 
trusted with  the  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ." ;{:  "  It 
behooves  you  also,  in  every  way,  to  please  the  deacons 
who  are  ministers  of  the  mysteries  of  Christ  Jesus ; 
for  they  are  not  ministers  of  meat  and  drink,  but 
servants  of  the  Church  of  God."  §  Again,  "  And 
what  is  the  presbytery  but  a  sacred  assembly,  the 
counselors  and  assessors  of  the  bishop  ?  iVnd  what  are 
the  deacons  but  imitators  of  the  angelic  powers  (or 

*  McClintock  and  Strong,  art.  "  Deacon."     f  Epist.  Polycarp,  c.  v. 
X  Epist  Ignatius^  Mag.,  c.  vi.  §  Ibid ,  D-al,  c.  ii. 


64         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Christ),  fulfilling  a  pure  and  blameless  ministry  unto 
liim,  as  the  holy  Stephen  did  to  the  blessed  James, 
Timothy  and  Linus  to  Paul,  Anencletus  and  Clement 
to  Peter  ?  He,  therefore,  that  will  not  yield  obedience 
to  such  must  needs  be  one  utterly  without  God,  an 
impious  man  w^ho  despises  Christ,  and  depreciates 
his  appointments."  * 

It  is  not  necessary  to  multiply  quotations  from  the 
Church  fathers  to  show  that  the  deacons  of  the 
apostolic  and  post-apostolic  churches  preached  the 
Gospel  and  were  permanent  officers  of  the  Church 
organization,  and  were  not  simply  candidates  for  a 
higher  order  in  the  ministry.  All  the  witnesses  prior 
to  A.  D.  680  speak  of  the  diaconate  in  connection 
w^itli  spiritual  services  or  the  rites  of  the  Church. 

If  we  take  the  thought  suggested  by  Dean  Howson, 
that  as  the  deaconess  is  a  conspicious  figure  in  the 
early  Church,  side  by  side  with  the  deacon,  and  it  is 
by  this  parallelism  that  we  shall  probably  apprehend 
her  position  most  correctly,  can  we  not  ascertain  her 
work  and  place  by  finding  those  of  the  deacon? 
These  duties  were,  to  assist  the  presbyter  or  bishop  in 
the  service  of  the  sanctuary  and  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  deacon  had  power  to 
administer  the  sacrament  of  baptism,  and  he  instructed 
and  catechized  the  catechumens.  His  part  was,  when 
the  bishop  or  presbyter  did  not  preach,  to  read  a 
homily  from  one  of  the  fathers,  to  receive  the  offer- 

*  Epist.  Igrtcitius,  TraL,  c.  vii. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Ciiukch.  65 

ings  of  the  people,  to  act  as  uslier  in  the  cliurch,  to 
rebuke  any  that  were  disorderly  in  time  of  divine 
worship,  ''to  take  care  of  the  necessitous  orphans, 
widows,  martyrs  in  prison,  and  all  the  poor  and  sick 
who  had  any  claim  upon  the  public  resources  of  tlie 
Church."  It  was  also  his  especial  duty  to  care  for  the 
spiritual  as  well  as  tlie  bodily  wants  of  the  people. 
Preaching  does  not  seem  to  have  been  necessarily  con- 
nected with  his  office  so  much  as  to  catechize  and  in- 
struct, but  this  instructing  in  the  principles  and  doc- 
trines of  Christianity  was  near  akin  to  preaching  ;  and 
in  the  absence  of  the  bishop  he  served  as  a  substitute, 
though  not  presenting  his  own  expositions,  but  "  read 
ing  a  homily  from  one  of  the  fathers."  This,  however 
was  a  restriction  of  former  privileges.  St.  Ambrose 
bishop  of  Milan,  A.  D.  380,  says  expressly  that  deacons, 
in  his  time,  did  not  preach,  though  he  thinks  that  they 
were  all  originally  evangelists,  as  were  Philip  and 
Stephen. 

Preaching  was  not  so  closely  confined  to  the  clergy 
in  the  first  centuries  of  Christianity  as  at  a  later  period. 
The  administration  of  the  rites  of  the  Church  was  con- 
fined to  them,  but  preaching  could  be  performed  by 
laymen  when  invited  by  the  bishop.  Lord  King 
shows  this  in  his  Primitive  Church  by  citing  the 
case  of  Origen,  "who,  going  from  Alexandria  to 
Palestine,  by  the  desire  of  the  bishops  of  that  country 
publicly  preached  in  the  church,  andexp  ounded  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  although  he  was  not    yet  in  holy 


66         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

orders."  A  certain  bisliop,  being  offended  at  this, 
wrote  against  it.  Alexander,  bisliop  of  Jerusalem, 
and  Tlieoctistus  of  Cesarea  wrote  to  liini  in  defense 
of  it  as  follows :  "  Whereas  you  write  in  your  letter 
that  it  was  never  before  seen,  or  done,  that  laymen 
should  preach  in  the  presence  of  bishops,  therein  you 
wander  from  the  truth ;  for  wheresoever  any  are 
found  that  are  fit  to  profit  the  brethren,  the  holy 
bishops,  of  their  own  accord,  ask  them  to  preach  unto 
the  people."* 

This  was  not  done  in  any  disorderly  way,  so  that 
the  ''  sacred  office  "  was  not  prostituted  thereby.  It 
was  only  with  tlie  consent,  or  at  the  invitation,  of  the 
bishop  of  the  Church,  and  only  by  those  who  were  "  fit 
to  profit  the  brethren."  The  same  custom  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  Puritans,  and  their  intelligent  laymen, 
one  after  another,  expounded  the  Scriptures  and  in- 
structed the  people.  In  justification  of  this  course 
they  cited  the  instance  quoted  above.f  In  regard  to 
the  constitution  of  the  early  churches  and  this  prac- 
tice among  tliem,  another  eminent  authority  says  : 
"  Their  presidents  were  the  elders,  oSicially  of  equal 
rank.  .  .  .  Under  the  superintendents  of  these  el- 
ders were  the  deacons  and  deaconesses.  .  .  .  The 
duty  of  teaching  was  by  no  means  incumbent  on  the 
elders,  altliough  the  apostle  wishes  that  they  should 
be  apt  to  teach.  The  capacity  for  instructing  and 
edifying  in  the  assemblies  was  rather  considered  as  a 

*  King's  Trim.  CK  P-  163.  f  Young's  Ghron.  Pil.  Fathers. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Chuech.  67 

free  gift  of  the  Spirit  {x^pf-^l^^  nveviiarncov)^  ^vhich 
manifested  itself  in  many  Christians,  although  in  dif- 
ferent modes  (Trpo^TJr?^^ — dtddaicaXoc — y?iG)aaxi  XakC^v^ 
1  Cor.  xii,  28-31  ;  xiv).  Still  less  was  a  distinct 
priestly  order  known  at  this  time ;  for  the  whole 
society  of  Cliristians  formed  a  royal  priesthood 
{YSaraXEiov  lepdrevfia,  1  Pet.  ii,  9)."^ 

This  shows  that  in  primitive  times  the  mere  act 
of  preaching  or  expounding  the  holy  Scriptures  was 
not  reserved  for  the  clergy,  nor  considered  their  ex- 
clusive right.  God  sometimes  endowed  others  with 
gifts  and  graces  to  profit  the  brethren,  and  these  were 
called  forth  by  the  proper  church  authority  to  exer- 
cise their  gifts  and  edify  the  people,  though  they  had 
not  been  ordained  by  the  imposition  of  hands.  When 
this  custom  was  set  aside  it  was  a  great  loss  to  the 
Church,  and  it  has  gained  immensely  by  its  revival 
in  modern  times.  Thus  the  whole  line  of  lay  preach- 
ers, of  Methodism  and  of  other  Cliurches,  and  some 
of  the  most  noted  evangelists,  both  men  and  w^omen, 
whom  the  world  has  ever  seen,  have  been  called  forth 
to  labor  and  bless  mankind. 

Let  us  now  inquire  as  to  the  work  of  the  deaconess. 
Was  her  work  peculiar  to  herself  ?  Or  was  it  the 
same  as  that  performed  by  the  deacon  'i  The  view 
held  by  most  historians  of  the  Church  is  that  the 
deaconess  performed  for  the  female  portion  of  the 
congregation  what  the  deacon  did  for  the  male  por- 

*  Geiseler,  Ch.  His.,  vol.  i,  p.  90. 


08         Deaconesses,  Ancip:nt  and  Modern. 

tion.  After  stating  the  work  of  tlie  deacon  Dr. 
Pliilip  Scliaif  says  :  "  Deaconesses,  or  female  helpers, 
had  a  similar  charge  of  the  poor  and  sick  in  the  fe- 
male portion  of  the  Church.  This  office  was  tlie 
inore  needful  on  account  of  the  rigid  separation  of 
the  sexes  at  that  day,  especially  among  the  Greeks. 
It  opened  to  pious  women  and  virgins,  and  especially 
to  widows,  a  most  suitable  held  for  the  regular  official 
exercise  of  their  peculiar  gifts  of  self-denying  love 
and  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the  Church.  Through 
it  they  could  carry  the  light  and  comfort  of  the  Gos- 
pel into  the  most  private  and  delicate  relations  of 
domestic  life,  without  at  all  overstepping  their  natural 
sphere.  Paul  mentions  Phebe  as  a  deaconess  of  the 
church  at  Cenchrea,  the  port  of  Corinth  ;  and  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  Tryphena  and  Tryphosa 
and  Persis,  whom  he  commends  for  their  labor  in  the 
Lord,  served  in  the  same  capacity  at  Pome."  ^  By 
specifying  the  work  of  the  deacon  we  have  also  speci- 
fied the  work  of  the  deaconess.  The  wants  of  the 
female  portion  of  the  Church  are  substantially  the 
same  as  those  of  the  male  portion. 

The  spiritual  baptism  that  came  upon  the  disciples 
at  the  Pentecost  set  every  heart  on  fire  with  the  love 
of  God,  and  "  they  all  began  to  speak  with  other 
tongues  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance."  This 
was  remembered  during  the  apostolic  age,  and  some 
of  the  subjects  of  it,  perhaps,  survived  the  apostles. 
*  P.  Schaff,  Hist.  Ch.,  vol.  i^  p.  135. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Chukch.         69 

It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  women  to  speak 
or  prophesy  to  the  edification  of  the  Church  ;  and 
doubtless  some  of  those  who  were  set  apart  as  dea- 
conesses obeyed  the  divine  impulse  and  told  publicly 
and  privately  the  story  of  tiie  cross.  Neither  deacons 
nor  deaconesses  were  specially  ordained  to  the  work 
of  preaching  in  the  early  post-apostolic  Clmrch, 
and  yet  we  are  constrained  to  believe  that  it  was  not 
foreign  to  either.  Priscilla  took  Apollos  and  "  ex- 
pounded unto  him  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly," 
unfolding  to  his  inquiring  mind  the  Scriptures  of 
truth.  "Tlie  new^  life  which  pervaded  the  Avhole 
Christian  society  w^ould  lead  women  as  well  as  men 
to  devote  themselves  to  the  labors  of  love."  *  Teach- 
ing was  certainly  a  part  of  their  work.  "  The  social  re- 
lations of  the  sexes  in  the  cities  of  the  empire  would 
make  it  fitting  that  the  agency  of  woman  should  be 
employed  largely  in  the  direct  personal  application 
of  spiritual  truth  (Tit.  ii,  3,  4),  possibly  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  female  catechumens.  Their  duties  were  to 
take  care  of  the  sick  and  poor  and  to  minister  to  mar- 
tyrs and  confessors  in  prison,  to  whom  they  could 
more  easily  gain  access  than  the  deacons ;  to  instruct 
catechumens,  and  to  assist  at  the  baptism  of  women  ; 
to  exercise  a  general  oversight  over  the  female  mem- 
bers of  the  Church,  and  this  not  only  in  public,  but 
in  private,  making  occasional  reports  to  the  bishops 
and  presbyters."  f 

*  McClintock  &  Strong.  f  Ihid. 


70         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Jerome  says  :  "  Each  in  his  own  sex  they  ministered 
in  baptism  and  in  the  ministry  of  the  word."  * 

At  this  point  we  will  examine  a  very  ancient  work, 
called  the  ApostollGal  Constitutions^  as  in  many  in- 
stances it  refers  to  the  deaconess  of  the  early  Cliurch. 
These  so-called  Apostolical  Constitutions  assume  to 
have  been  formulated  by  the  apostles,  but  that  is  not 
received  by  the  learned.  Nevertheless,  their  spurious- 
ness  does  not  destroy  their  historical  value.  If  they 
are  forgeries,  they  are  very  ancient,  and  must  have 
reflected  the  customs  of  their  times.  The  following 
is  the  result  of  the  latest  and  best  scholarship. 

''  We  may  accept  as  established  the  following  po- 
sitions : 

"  1.  The  Apostolical  Constitutions  are  a  compila- 
tion, the  material  being  derived  from  sources  differ- 
ing: in  ao^e. 

"2.  The  first  six  books  are  the  oldest;  the  seventh, 
in  its  present  form  somewhat  later,  but  .  .  .  proven 
to  contain  matter  of  a  very  ancient  date.  The  eighth 
book  is  of  latest  date. 

"  3.  It  now  seems  to  be  generally  admitted  that  the 
entire  w^ork  is  not  later  than  the  fourth  century,  al- 
though the  usual  allowance  must  be  made  for  later 
textual  changes,  whether  by  accident  or  design."  f 

We  have  quoted  the  above  because  we  shall  have 

*  "In  suo  sexu  ministrabant  in  baptismo  et  ministerio  verbi." — 
Jerome  ou  Rom.  xvi,  1. 

\  Ante-Nicene  Fathers,  vol.  vii,  p.  388. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Church.         7.1 

occasion  to  refer  to  the  work  showing  the  character 
and  duties  of  the  deaconess  and  her  ordination  to  office 
in  the  Church. 

"  Let  the  deaconess  be  a  pure  virgin,  or,  at  the 
least,  a  widow  who  has  been  but  once  married,  faith- 
ful and  well  esteemed."  *  It  is  evident  tliat  in  the  first 
Christian  age  some  married  women  were  deaconesses, 
as  Priscilla,  who  traveled  and  labored  with  her  hus- 
band, but  is  generally  named  first,  probably  because 
of  greater  energy  and  an  official  position  in  the  Church. 
But  the  provision  above  is  a  very  natural  one,  because 
the  cares  of  a  family  generally  would  preclude  a  mar- 
ried woman  from  devoting  all  her  time  to  the  work  of 
a  deaconess ;  and  a  married  woman,  having  her  own 
home,  and  being  provided  for  by  her  husband,  could 
devote  whatever  time  she  could  command  to  benevo- 
lent labors,  and  do  the  work  of  a  deaconess  without 
the  distinctive  title. 

"  For  let  the  bishop  preside  over  you  as  one  hon- 
ored with  the  authority  of  God,  which  he  is  to  exer- 
cise over  the  clergy,  and  by  which  he  is  to  govern 
all  the  people.  But  let  the  deacon  minister  to  him 
as  Christ  does  to  his  Father.  .  .  .  Let  also  the  dea- 
coness be  honored  by  you  in  the  place  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  not  do  or  say  anj^  thing  witliout  the 
deacon ;  as  neither  does  the  Comforter  say  or  do 
any  thing  of  himself,  but  giveth  glory  to  Christ  by 
waiting  for  his  pleasure.     And  as  we  cannot  believe 

*  Apost.  Con.,  Book  ii,  c.  xvii. 


72         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


on  Christ  witlioiit  the  teaching  of  the  Spirit,  so  let 
not  any  woman  address  herself  to  the  deacon  or 
bishop  withont  the  deaconess."  ^ 

This  sliows  the  honor  in  which  tlie  deaconess 
was  held  as  belonging  to  the  ministerial  orders  of 
tlie  Church.  It  also  sliows  how  soon  the  Church 
departed  from  the  trutli,  giving  an  honor  and  im- 
portance to  ministers  wliich  God  never  designed 
they  should  have,  and  which  had  no  parallel  or  prec- 
edent in  apostolic  times.  To  represent  the  bishop 
as  having  the  authority  of  God,  and  placing  the 
deacon  in  the  same  relation  to  the  bishop  that  the 
Son  of  God  is  to  his  Father,  and  the  deaconess  in 
the  place  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  seems  to  ns  but  little 
short  of  blasphemy. 

It  was  also  provided  that  "the  deaconesses  should 
stand  at  the  entrances  of  the  women,"  as  the  deacons 
did  at  those  of  the  men,  and  should  provide  places 
for  strangers  who  had  come  in  to  worship.  "  Nay, 
if  a  poor  man,  or  one  of  a  mean  family,  or  a 
stranger  comes  upon  you,  whether  he  be  old  or 
young,  and  there  be  no  place,  the  deacon  shall  find 
a  place  for  even  these,  and  that  with  all  his  heart ; 
that,  instead  of  accepting  persons  before  men,  his 
ministration  toward  God  may  be  well  pleasing.  The 
very  same  things  let  the  deaconess  do  to  those  women, 
whether  poor  or  rich,  that  come  unto  them."  f 

"  Ordain  also  a  deaconess  who  is  faithful  and  holy 

*  Apost  Cons.^  Book  ii,  c.  xxvi.  f  Ibid.,  Book  ii,  c.  Ivii,  Iviii. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Eakly  Chukch.         73 

for  the  ministrations  toward  women.  For  sometimes 
he  cannot  send  a  deacon,  who  is  a  man,  to  the  women, 
on  account  of  unbelievers.  Thou  shalt  tlierefore  send 
a  woman,  a  deaconess,  on  account  of  the  imaginations 
of  the  bad.  For  we  stand  in  need  of  a  woman,  a 
deaconess,  for  many  necessities ;  and,  first,  in  tlie  bap- 
tism of  women  the  deacon  shall  anoint  only  their  fore- 
heads with  the  holy  oil,  and  after  him  the  deaconess 
shall  anoint  them,  for  there  is  no  necessity  that  the 
women  should  be  seen  of  the  men."  ^ 

This  is  somewhat  minute  in  detail,  and  shows  the 
same  state  of  things  in  the  early  Church  that  exists  to- 
day in  many  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  same  neces- 
sity for  care  and  caution  to  prevent  reproach.  Circum- 
stances are  such  now  sometimes,  even  where  women 
are  not  secluded,  that  "  a  deacon  who  is  a  man  cannot 
be  sent  on  account  of  the  imaginations  of  the  bad." 

This  is  the  case  in  many  of  the  Eastern  countries, 
where  women  are  now  much  more  secluded  than 
they  were  then  among  the  Greeks.  Our  missions 
are  being  planted  all  over  those  lands,  where  it  is 
impossible  for  men  to  reach  the  women,  and  the 
work  is  hindered  thereby,  and  the  conversion  of 
the  world  delayed.  How  slow  the  modern  Church 
has  been  to  follow  the  example  set  in  apostolic  and 
primitive  times! 

"  O  bishop,  do  thou  ordain  thy  fellow-workers, 
the  laborers  for  life  and  for  righteousness.  .  .  . 
*  Apost.  Cons.j  Book  iii,  c.  xv. 


74         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Ordain  also  a  deaconess  who  is  faithful  and  holy  for 
the  ministrations  toward  women."*  These  early 
fathers  recognized  the  necessity  of  ordaining  women 
to  give  the  ministrations  of  religion  to  women.  They 
were  willing  to  yield  to  the  custom  of  tlieir  age  and 
send  the  word  of  God  and  the  ordinances  of  the 
Church  to  women  by  women  duly  qualified  and  ap- 
pointed, rather  than  attempt  to  drag  them  forth  to 
be  seen  of  men,  where  custom  and  every  instinct  of 
their  nature  made  the  act  repellent.  "  For  there  is  no 
necessity  that  the  women  should  be  seen  of  the  men." 
Under  certain  circumstances  the  deaconess  was  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  the  deacon  when  a  proper  regard 
for  purity  of  character  and  reputation  would  preclude 
the  presence  and  services  of  tlie  latter. 

After  the  sacrament  of  baptism  had  been  admin- 
istered by  the  bishop  it  was  ordered,  "Let  a  deacon 
receive  the  man  and  a  deaconess  the  woman,  that 
so  the  conferring  of  this  inviolable  seal  may  take 
place  with  a  becoming  decency."  f  "  And  let  the 
deaconess  be  diligent  in  taking  care  of  the  women, 
but  both  of  them  (deacon  and  deaconess)  ready  to 
carry  messages,  to  travel  about,  to  minister,  and  to 
serve."  J  "The  traditional  journey  of  Phebe  to 
Rome  with  St.  Paul's  epistle  would  thus  be  strictly 
within  the  limits  of  lier  functions."  § 

There   is  one    more    reference   to    the   duties   of 

*  Apost.  Cons.,  Book  Hi,  c.  xv.  j;  Ibid.,  Book  iii,  c.  xvi. 

X  Ibid.,  Book  iii,  c.  xix.  §  Ludlow,  p.  16. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Eakly  Ciiukch.         75 

the  deaconess  in  the  Constitxdions  which  de- 
mands our  special  attention :  "  A  deaconess  does 
not  bless  or  perform  any  thing  belonging  to  the 
office  of  presbyters  or  deacons,  but  only  is  to  keep 
the  doors  and  to  minister  to  the  presbyters  in  tlie 
baptizing  of  women,  on  account  of  decency."  *  From 
this  it  appears  that  the  deaconess  was  not  held  in 
such  honor  and  esteem  when  the  last  of  the  above 
quotations  was  w^ritten  as  when  the  others  were 
penned.  This  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  tlie 
Constitutions  are  of  unequal  antiquity,  the  eighth 
look  being  much  later  than  the  others.  "  There  is 
a  complete  opposition  of  tone  between  chapter  xv 
of  Book  III,  which  says  that  we  need  a  woman 
deacon  for  many  purposes,  and  chapter  xxviii  of  Book 
VIII,  which  reduces  her  functions  to  doorkeeping 
and  ministering  at  female  baptisms.  Evidently  in  the 
older  Constitutions  the  deaconess's  office  is  far  more 
real  and  more  honorable."  f  Let  it  also  be  observed 
that  the  Constitution  which  reduces  the  func- 
tions of  the  deaconess  also  reduces  the  functions  of 
■the  deacon :  ^'A  deacon  does  not  bless,  does  not 
give  the  blessing,  but  receives  it  from  the  bishop 
and  presbyter.  He  does  not  baptize,  he  does  not 
offer,  but  when  a  bishop  or  presbyter  has  offered 
he  distributes  to  the  people,  not  as  priest,  but  as 
one  that  ministers  to  the  priests."  :j: 

*Book  viii,  c.  xxviii.  f  Ludlow,  p.  21. 

\Apost.  Cons.,  Book  viii,  c.  xxviii. 


76  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

This  takes  from  the  deacon  the  power  to  baptize, 
but  by  other  writers  this  is  clearly  given  to  him. 
"Deacons  had  power  to  administer  the  sacrament  of 
baptism.  The  Council  of  Eliberis,  Canon  77,  plainly 
acknowledges  this  right."  *  They  assisted  "  the 
bishops  or  presbyters  in  the  celebration  of  the  eu- 
charist,  delivering  the  elements  to  the  communicants; 
they  also  preached,  and  in  the  absence  of  the  bishop 
and  presbyters  baptized."  f  And  we  are  not  without 
evidence  that  deaconesses  also  performed  the  same 
functions.  A  commentary  on  the  Pauline  epistles, 
falsely  ascribed  to  Jerome,  and  supposed  to  have 
been  written  in  the  fifth  century,  has  the  following 
note  on  Kom.  xvi,  1 :  "As  even  now  in  the  East 
women  called  deaconesses  appear  to  minister  in 
baptism  or  in  the  ministry  of  the  word,  since  we 
find  women  to  have  taught  privately,  as  Priscilla."  :j: 
From  the  sixth  century  onward  there  are  but  few 
notices  of  deaconesses  in  the  Greek  Church,  and 
these  scattered  at  long  intervals.  Some  canons 
were  enacted  in  relation  to  the  age  of  ordination. 
In  the  seventh  century  her  office  is  referred  to  in 
relation  to  the  baptizing  of  women.  In  the  elev- 
enth century  it  is  also  named  in  connection  witli 
the  interpretation  of  Titus  ii,  3.  Balsamon,  patri 
arch  of  Antioch,  writing  toward  the  end  of  the 
twelfth  century,  treats  the  office  as  nearly  extinct ; 

*  McClintock  &  Strong.  f  King's  Frim.  Ch.,  p.  70. 

X  Ludlow,  p.  65. 


Deaconesses  of  the  Early  Church.         77 

and  the  manner  in  which  he  writes  of  deaconesses 
shows  that  they  had  been  lost  in  female  monachism. 
"  As  virgins,"  he  writes,  "  they  were  received  by  the 
Church  and  guarded  according  to  the  command  of 
the  bishop,  as  consecrated  to  God,  except  that  they 
wore  the  garb  of  the  laity,  .  .  .  and  at  forty  years 
old  they  received  ordination  as  deaconesses,  being 
found  qualified  in  all  respects."  * 

We  cannot  trace  the  growth  of  the  early  Church 
and  the  distinctive  orders  of  the  clergy  without 
being  impressed  with  the  ambitious  character  of  some 
of  those  in  high  places,  and  witli  the  fact  that  efforts 
were  made  to  deprive  the  lower  clergy  of  some  of 
the  functions  of  their  office,  and  to  give  to  those 
above  them  more  exclusive  power  and  authority. 
Thus  the  deaconess  was  deprived  of  her  ministerial 
functions,  and  finally,  as  we  shall  discover,  was  dropped 
out  of  the  Church  altogether. 

So  it  has  been  in  the  Church  of  modern  times. 
When  God  has  laid  upon  the  heart  of  man  any  great 
truth  and  duty,  as  he  did  upon  the  hearts  of  Luther 
and  Wesley,  and  those  truths  have  been  promulgated 
and  the  Church  has  been  aroused  as  from  the  slum- 
ber of  ages,  and  taken  on  new  life  and  vigor,  she  has 
in  spirit  and  form  gone  back  to  the  customs  of  primi- 
tive times  ;  and  as  the  work  has  grown  and  become 
older  the  primitive  customs  have  been  ignored,  and 
ambitious  men  have  ruled  in  the  place  of  Christ. 

*  Ludlow,  p.  61. 
6 


78         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


CHAPTER  YIL 

THE  ORDINATION  OF  DRaCONESSES. 

It  seems  right  and  proper  that  any  person  called  of 
God  to  discharge  important  duties  in  the  government 
and  care  of  his  Church  should  be  set  apart  to  that 
work  by  some  special  religious  services,  so  that  the 
candidate  and  all  the  people  may  be  suitably  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  and  solemnity  of  the  of- 
fice with  which  the  person  is  invested.  The  mere 
act  of  ordination  to  the  work  of  the  Christian  minis- 
try has  been  given  an  importance  in  Church  history 
and  religious  controversy  far  beyond  its  intrinsic 
value.  It  has  no  interest  to  us  "  in  reference  to  the 
dogma  of  a  lineal  apostolical  succession,  and  the  con- 
sequences supposed  to  flow  through  it  as  a  channel  of 
transmitted  grace,"  *  and  we  discuss  it  only  as  a  for- 
mal religious  act  of  induction  to  an  ecclesiastical  office 
and  work. 

Christ  did  indeed  ordain  or  appoint  his  twelve 
apostles  and  the  seventy  disciples,  but,  so  far  as  the 
sacred  record  shows,  without  symbolical  act  or  cere- 
mon3^  The  seven  deacons  mentioned  in  Acts  vi  were 
chosen  by  the  people  and  ordained  by  the  apostles,  by 
*  McOlintock  &  Strong,  art.  "  Ordination." 


The  Ordination  of  Deaconesses.  79 

prayer  and  tlie  la^ang  on  of  hands.  "  This  marked 
event  in  the  liistory  of  the  Church  occurred  in  imme- 
diate sequel  of  the  great  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  at  Pentecost,  and  from  the  space  allotted  to  it  in 
the  Scriptures,  as  well  as  from  the  fact  that  all  the 
apostles  were  present,  it  may  now  be  considered,  as  it 
doubtless  was  during  the  whole  apostolic  period,  a 
model  ordination  for  the  subsequent  Church."  ^  So 
Barnabas  and  Saul  were  set  apart,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of 
hands.  Acts  xiii,  2,  3.  Saul  of  Tarsus  had  been 
preaching  tlie  Gospel  of  Christ  for  ten  years  before 
tliis.  Both  Barnabas  and  Saul  had  acted  as  evangel- 
ists, and  their  word  had  been  signally  blessed  of  God. 
Their  ordination  did  not  give  them  any  new  power  as 
preachers  of  the  Gospel,  but  it  was  a  recognition  by 
the  Church  and  an  official  indorsement  of  them. 
They  had  been  commissioned  to  preach  by  tlie  Holy 
Ghost,  and  now  by  his  direction  they  were  commis- 
sioned to  "  baptize  converts,  organize  Cliristian  con- 
gregations, and  to  ordain  Christian  ministers." 

The  act  of  ordination  was  significant.  "  When  a 
Jewisli  father  invoked  a  benediction  on  any  of  his 
family  he  laid  his  hand  on  the  head  of  his  child  ; 
when  a  Jew^ish  priest  devoted  an  animal  in  sacrifice 
he  laid  his  hand  on  the  head  of  the  victim  ;  and  when 
a  Jewish  ruler  invested  another  with  office  he  laid  his 
hand  on  the  head  of  the  new  functionary."  f  So  men 
*  McClintock  &  Strong,  art.  "  Ordination."  f  Ibid. 


80         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

and  women,  in  the  primitive  Churcli,  were  "  sepa- 
rated "  to  the  special  work  to  which  God  had  called 
them.  This  instance  illustrates  the  conditions  ob- 
served in  the  ordination  of  the  deacons  :  "  (1.)  The 
candidates  were  men  called  of  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
(2.)  They  were  separated  unto  the  work  of  the  Lord 
by  prayer,  accompanied  with  fasting  ;  (3.)  Hands  were 
laid  upon  them  by  representative  men  of  the  Church, 
doubtless  the  elders,  among  whom  no  apostle  was 
present,  and  as  yet  the  office  of  bishop  had  not  been 
instituted."  *  This  could  not  be  other  than  a  pres- 
byterial  ordination,  but  who  would  question  its  valid- 
ity ?  This  is  such  an  ordination  as  is  defined  by  Lord 
King  in  the  following  language:  "The  grant  of  a 
peculiar  commission  and  power,  which  rema^ins  indel- 
ible in  the  person  to  whom  it  is  committed,  and  can 
never  be  eradicated  or  erased  out,  except  the  person 
himself  cause  it  by  his  heresy,  apostasy,  or  most  gross 
and  scandalous  impiety."  f 

Such  an  ordination  is  reasonable,  religious,  impress- 
ive, and  sanctioned  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Let  us  see 
what  evidence  we  have  that  deaconesses  were  set 
apart  in  the  same  way.  "We  have  seen  that  they 
formed  a  part  of  the  apostolic  Church  organization,, 
and  though  we  find  no  Scripture  which  definitely 
says  they  were  set  apart  by  prayer  and  the  imposi- 
tion of  hands  we  have  good  reason  to  believe  that 

*  McClintock  &  Strong,  art.  "  Ordination." 
f  Primitive  Churchy  p.  72. 


The  Ordination  of  Deaconesses.  81 

they  were  thus  ordained.  We  find  men-deacons  and 
women-deacons  in  the  same  church  fillinoj  the  same 
ofiice  and  doing  the  same  work,  the  one  to  the  male 
portion  and  the  other  to  the  female  portion  of  the 
congregation.  It  is  fair  to  presume  that  both  were 
inducted  to  office  in  the  same  form. 

A  distinction  has  been  made  by  some  writers  be- 
tween the  imposition  of  hands  as  a  ceremonial  bene- 
diction and  a  real  ordination,  but  in  the  light  of 
Church  history  and  tlie  best  scholarship  this  distinc- 
tion cannot  stand.  Bingham,  in  his  Christian  An- 
tiquities, repudiates  it.  Ludlow  contends  that  the 
deaconess  received  a  real  ordination.  The  question  is 
certainly  decided  by  the  Council  of  Nice.  In  one  of 
its  canons  it  distinguishes  between  such  as  had.  and 
such  as  had  not  been  ordained  by  the  imposition  of 
hands,  saying :  "  Those  who  assume  the  habit  and 
dignity  of  the  office,  never  having  had  the  imposition 
of  hands,  are  to  be  reckoned  only  among  the  laity."  ^ 
So  also  Dr.  Philip  Schaff :  "  The  custom  of  ordain- 
ing deaconesses  is  placed  beyond  dispute."  "  But  the 
consecration  of  the  deaconess  was  certainly  accompa- 
nied with  the  imposition  of  hands  in  the  presence  of 
the  whole  clergy."  f  We  can  see  no  reason  why  this 
should  ever  have  been  questioned  or  disallowed.  It 
probably  never  would  have  been  had  the .  clergy  re- 
tained more  of  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  and  less  of  the 

*  Council  of  Xice,  Canon  19,  quoted  from  C.  S.  Henry. 
f  Schaff,  Church  History^  vol.  ii,  p.  261. 


82  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


ambition  and  spirit  of  the  world.  The  ordination  of 
deaconesses  was  in  accord  with  the  faith  of  tlie  prim- 
itive Church  and  the  sacred  office  to  which  they 
were  called.  Men  felt  that  all  spiritual  work  must  be 
done  bj  the  help  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  no  spiritual 
victories  could  be  won  without  his  influence,  and,  as 
men  were  set  apart  by  special  acts  of  devotion,  why  not 
women  ?  Was  their  work  less  difficult  or  important? 
Were  they  less  in  need  of  help  than  men  ?    Surely  not ! 

In  proof  that  they  were  ordained,  and  in  illustra- 
tion of  the  mode,  we  will  here  give  the  form  of 
prayer  used  at  their  ordination.  The  Apostolical  Con- 
stitutions  gives  the  following  directions  to  the  bishop 
for  the  ordination  of  the  deaconess.  It  is  assumed  to 
have  been  written  by  the  apostle  Bartholomew. 

"  Concerning  a  deaconess,  I,  Bartholomew,  make 
this  constitution  :  O  bishop,  thou  shalt  lay  thy  hands 
upon  her  in  the  presence  of  the  presbytery,  and  of 
the  deacons  and  deaconesses,  and  shalt  say :  O  Eter- 
nal God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  tlie 
Creator  of  man  and  of  woman,  who  didst  replenish 
with  the  Spirit  Miriam,  and  Deborah,  and  Anna, 
and  Huldah  ;  who  didst  not  disdain  that  thy  only 
begotten  Son  should  be  born  of  a  woman  ;  who  also 
in  the  tabernacle  of  the  testimony,  and  in  the  temple, 
didst  ordain  women  to  be  keepers  of  thy  holy  gates 
— do  thou  now  also  look  down  upon  this  thy  servant, 
who  is  to  be  ordained  to  the  office  of  a  deaconess, 
and  grant  her  thy  Holy  Spirit,  and  cleanse  her  from 


The  Okdination  of  Deaconesses.  83 

all  filtliiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  that  she  may 
wortliilj  discharge  the  work  which  is  committed  to 
her  to  thy  glory,  and  the  praise  of  thy  Christ,  with 
whom  glory  and  adoration  be  to  thee  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  forever.     Amen."  ^ 

This  places  beyond  all  dispute  the  ordination  of 
women  to  the  order  and  office  of  deaconess  in  the 
early  Church.  While  the  scholarship  of  the  present 
day  does  not  in  any  sense  accept  the  above  as  the 
work  of  the  apostles,  still  it  must  have  reflected  the 
customs  of  the  Church  at,  and  prior  to,  the  time 
when  it  was  written,  and,  as  we  have  before  stated,  its 
date  is  placed  from  the  second  to  the  fourth  century. 
In  addition  to  what  is  given  above  we  present  the 
following  from  an  early  source  of  information.  Dean 
Howson  says:  "In  the  collection  of  the  ordination 
services  of  the  Nestorian  Christians  as  published  by 
the  younger  Assemani,  I  find  a  distinct  '  Ordo  Chi- 
rotoniee  Mulierum  Diaconissarum,'  parallel  for  the 
most  part  to  the  similar  service  for  the  appointment 
of  deacons.  Here,  among  other  suitable  prayers, 
which  are  quite  in  harmony  with  the  s]>irit  of  that 
which  is  quoted  from  the  Apostolical  Constitutions 
the  following  occurs  :  " 

"Lord  God  Omnipotent,  who  hast  made  all  things 
by  the  word  of  thy  power,  and  in  thy  command  bold- 
est the  universe  which  thou  didst  create  at  thy  pleas- 
ure ;  who  hast  taken  pleasure  likewise  in  men  and 
*  Apost.  Cons.,  Book  viii,  chaps,  xix,  xx. 


84         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modekn. 

women  that  tlion  slioiiklst  give  unto  tliem  tlie  gift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit ;  tliou,  Lord,  even  now,  through  thy 
pity,  choose  this  thy  poor  handmaid  to  the  good 
work  of  the  diaconate,  and  give  unto  her  grace,  that 
without  blemish  she  may  finish  before  thee  this  great 
and  sublime  ministry,  and  that  she  may  be  guarded 
without  hurt  in  all  works  of  virtue  ;  and  that  she  may 
instruct  the  assembly  of  women,  and  teach  purity  and 
just  and  good  works ;  and  justly  to  obtain  from  thee  the 
reward  of  (her)  good  works  in  the  great  and  glorious  day 
of  the  revelation  of  thine  Only  Begotten.  Wherefore 
to  thee  and  to  him,  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  pertain 
glory,  honor,  thanksgiving,  and  adoration.  Amen  !  "  ^ 
Dean  Howson  held  to  the  view  that  the  imposition 
of  hands  was  a  ceremonial  benediction.  In  proof  of 
this,  after  giving  the  above  prayer  with  the  rubric, 
he  quotes  in  Latin  Assemani's  comment  on  the  serv- 
ices, of  which  the  following  is  a  translation :  "  Al- 
though the  deaconesses  had  no  sacred  rank  in  the 
Church,  nevertheless,  through  an  inauguration  purely 
ceremonial,  they  were  intended  for  some  pious  minis- 
try among  women."  f  But  Assemani  as  a  commen- 
tator on  the  practices  of  the  early  Church  is  not  en- 

*  Deaconesses,  Dean  Howson,  preface,  page  15.  Dean  Howson 
here  gives  the  Latin  form  of  the  prayer  which  we  translate.  He 
quoted  from  the  Codex  Liturg.  Eccles.  Univ.  (Rome,  1771).  He  gives 
this  note:  "The  bibliographers  say  that  this  volume  of  the  work  is 
rare.  My  extracts  are  made  from  a  copy  in  the  Cambridge  Univer- 
sity Library,  which  was  formerly  Bisliop  Van  Alildert's." 

f  Dean  Howson,  p.  17. 


The  Okdination  of  Deacoxesses.  85 

titled  to  as  much  credence  as  later  scholars.  He  wrote 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  and  was  not  remarkable 
for  accurate  or  profound  scholarship  ;  and  he  also 
wrote  in  the  interest  of  Eoman  Catholicism  and  the 
support  of  hierarchical  pretensions. 

Matthew  Blastar,  a  writer  of  tlie  fourteenth  cent- 
ury, has  preserved  the  ceremonies  used  in  the  ordi- 
nation of  a  deaconess :  ''  She  was  presented  to  the 
bishop  in  front  of  the  sanctuary,  her  neck  and  slioul- 
ders  covered  with  a  small  cloak  called  '  Marforium.' 
After  a  prayer,  beginning  with  the  words, '  The  grace 
of  God,'  she  bent  her  head  without  bowing  her  knees, 
and  the  bishop  then  laid  his  hands  on  her,  pronounc- 
ing the  accustomed  prayer."  * 

In  TertuUian  we  find  the  following  allusion  to  or- 
dained women  :  "  How  many  men,  therefore,  and 
how  many  women  in  ecclesiastical  orders  owe  their 
position  to  continence  who  have  23referred  to  be  wed- 
ded to  God  ! "  t 

Bishop  A.  C.  Coxe  says  this  is  a  reference  '^  to  dea- 
conesses as  women  in  ecclesiastical  orders."  :j:  The 
Theodosian  Code  (4:38)  fixes  the  age  of  their  ordina- 
tion, and  provides  that  if  they  have  children  when 
they  enter  the  diaconate  a  guardian  shall  be  ap- 
pointed. The  fiftieth  canon  of  the  Council  of  Chal- 
cedon  enacts  that  '*  the  deaconess  shall  not  be  or- 
dained before  her  fortieth  year,  and  this  witli  the 

*  Moreri,  quoted  by  Ludlow,  p.  62.     f  Tert.,  Exhort.  Chadity.  c.  xiii 
\  Ante-Nicene  Fathers,  vol.  iv,  58. 


86  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

utmost  deliberation  ;  but  if,  receiving  the  imposition 
of  hands,  and  remaining  some  time  in  the  ministry, 
slie  gives  herself  over  to  marriage,  doing  despite  to 
the  grace  of  God,  let  her  be  accursed  together  with 
her  paramour."  ''^ 

In  A.  D.  535  a  law  was  enacted  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Eastern  Church  whicli  has  a  "  chapter 
specially  devoted  to  the  ordination  of  deaconesses  not 
under  fifty  years  of  age.  They  are  to  be  neither 
young  nor  in  the  prime  of  life  nor  of  an  age  of  itself 
prone  to  sin,  but  beyond  the  middle  time  of  life; 
either  widows  of  one  husband  or  professed  virgins; 
of  a  life  not  only  w^ell-famed,  but  not  even  suspected. 
If  any  should  of  necessity  be  ordained  before  the  pi'e- 
scribed  age  she  is  to  remain  in  some  ascetery.  The 
deaconess  is  to  live  either  alone  or  only  with  lier 
parents  and  her  children  or  her  brothers,  or  otlier- 
wlse  wdth  such  persons  as  to  w^hom  any  suspicion  of 
scandal  would  appear  of  itself  silly  and  impious,  but 
not  with  any  other  relative,  or  any  of  those  persons 
called  '  beloved.'  On  her  ordination  she  is  to  be 
admonished,  and  to  hear  the  holy  precepts  in  pres- 
ence of  the  other  deaconesses  already  in  functions. 
If  she  leave  the  ministry  to  enter  into  marriage,  or 
to  choose  any  other  mode  of  life,  she  is  subject  to 
the  penalty  of  death,  and  her  property  is  to  be  ap- 
plied to  the  use  of  the  church  or  convent  in  which 
she  is,  the  same  penalties  being  incurred  by  her  hus- 

*  Ludlow,  p.  53. 


The  Ordination  of  Deaconesses.  87 

band  or  seducer,  with  the  exception  that  his  property 
is  to  be  confiscated  for  the  benefit  of  the  State."  ^ 

Tlie  evidence  that  women  were  ordained  to  some 
of  the  sacred  functions  of  tlie  ministry  is  very  abun- 
dant in  the  annals  of  the  early  Church.  These  offi- 
cers were  perpetuated  and  retained  so  long  as  the 
Church  observed  the  truth  and  precedents  transmit- 
ted by  the  apostles.  E'ot  until  the  priesthood  became 
corrupt  and  ambitious  were  they  set  aside.  So  long 
as  the  Church  kept  to  the  work  committed  to  it  by 
Christ,  instructing:  the  io^norant,  comfortino-  the  af- 
flicted,  and  seeking  to  bring  lost  souls  to  the  fountain 
of  cleansing,  the  deaconesses  were  found  among  its 
working  forces.  But  we  can  trace  the  growth  of 
sacerdotalism,  when  apostolic  precepts  were  set  aside 
and  the  commandments  of  men  adopted  in  their 
stead  ;  when  superstition  gained  the  ascendency  and 
the  spiritual  power  of  the  Church  was  lost  in  its  ever- 
increasing  forms.  In  evidence  of  the  ordination  of 
deaconesses,  and  to  show  the  position  they  held  at 
the  end  of  the  fifth  century,  we  give  the  following  : 

"  At  this  period,  therefore  (first  half  of  the  sixth 
century),  the  office  of  deaconess  in  the  Eastern  Church 
has  become  purely  sacerdotal,  forming  a  sort  of  con- 
necting link  between  the  secular  and  the  regular 
clergy.  The  honor  of  the  office  has  not  departed. 
There  is  not,  even  at  this  late  period  of  which  we  are 
treating,  the  smallest  trace  in  the  authorities  of  a  gen- 

*^Ludlow,  p.  56. 


88         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

eric  difference  between  the  ordination  of  the  deacon- 
ess and  that  of  the  other  members  of  the  clergy,  the 
word  ordination  being  strictly  rendered  in  the  Greek 
version  by  the  technical  one  of  %£/.po0£(7ia,  laying  on 
of  hands.  The  same  terms  of  'most  reverend'  and 
'venerable'  are  applied  to  deaconesses  as  to  tlie 
bishop  and  other  clergy  ;  the  rules  respecting  them  are 
comprised  in  the  same  ordinances  of  the  civil  power, 
and  their  rank  clearly  fixed  on  a  par  with  that  of  the 
deacons  and  before  the  sub-deacons  and  other  inferior 
clergy ;  and  they  are  the  only  class  of  females  who 
are  thus  ranked  in  the  clergy,  the  virgins,  widows, 
nuns,  being  clearly  not  included  witli  them  in  this 
respect,  although  assimilated  to  them  in  others. 
Their  functions,  as  far  as  they  are  spoken  of,  are 
those  'of  coming  to  the  holy  ministry,  ministering  to 
the  adorable  ceremonies  of  baptism,  and 'assisting  at 
the  other  mysteries,  which  are  lawfully  celebrated 
by  them  in  the  venerable  ministrations '  of  the 
Church."  * 

It  may  be  interesting  to  inquire  how  these  female 
officers  were  selected,  and  the  qualifications  deemed 
necessary  for  the  office.  As  the  functions  of  deacon 
and  deaconess  were  so  much  alike,  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  method  of  selection  and  the 
qualifications  would  be  similar.  The  apostolic  re- 
quirements for  the  deacon  and  deaconess  were  vir- 
tually the  same.      "  Likewise  7mist  the  deacons  he 

*  Ludlow,  p.  59. 


The  Oedina^tion  of  Deaconesses.  89 

grave,  not  double-tongued,  not  given  to  much  wine, 
not  greedy  of  filty  lucre  ;  holding  the  mystery  of  the 
faith. in  a  pure  conscience.  And  let  these  also  first 
be  proved,  then  let  them  use  the  office  of  a  deacon, 
\>Qmg  found  blameless.  Even  so  must  their  wives  he 
grave^  not  slanderers,  sober,  faithful  in  all  things." 
1  Tim.  iii,  8-11. 

These  were  the  directions  given  by  the  apostle  as  to 
the  general  qualifications  and  character  of  those  who 
were  to  be  selected  aB  deacons. 

On  this  passage  Dr.  D.  D.  Whedon  has  the  follow- 
ing comment : 

"  Wives  —  The  Greek  word  may  signify  either 
woman  or  wife.  The  their  is  not  in  the  Greek. 
The  question  thence  arises  whether  St.  Paul  means 
wives  of  the  deacons  or  deaconesses.  The  absence  of 
any  prescription  for  the  wdves  of  the  elders  seems 
very  decisive  in  favor  of  the  latter." 

The  same  opinion  is  expressed  by  many  of  the 
Greek  and  Latin  Church  fathers  and  by  many 
modern  commentators.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke  thinks  it 
probable  that  Paul  meant  deaconesses,  and  Lange 
■understands  it  of  the  '^  wives  of  deacons,  who  were 
also  deaconesses." 

We  give  the  following  as  the  criticism  of  an  eminent 
modern  scholar  on  the  question  in  discussion,  and  to 
show  his  high  appreciation  of  the  office  of  deaconess, 
and  what  the  Church  has  suffered  by  its  extinction : 

"  The  error  of  inserting  the  article  where  it  is  absent 


90         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

is  less  frequent  than  that  of  omitting  it  where  it  is 
present,  but  not  less  injurious  to  the  sense.  Thus,  in 
1  Tim.  iii,  11,  ywainag  cjoavrcjg  oeiivag  would  hardly 
have  been  rendered  '  even  so  must  their  wives  be 
grave,'  if  the  theory  of  the  definite  article  had  been 
understood ;  for  our  translators  would  have  seen  that 
the  reference  is  to  yvvalKag  StaKovovg^  '  women-dea- 
cons '  or  '  deaconesses,'  and  not  to  the  wives  of  the 
deacons. 

"  The  office  of  deaconess  is  mentioned  only  in  one 
other  passage  in  the  New  Testament  (Rom.  xvi,  1), 
and  there  also  it  is  obliterated  in  the  English  version 
by  the  substitution  of  tlie  vague  expression  "  w^hich  is 
a  servant"  for  the  more  definite  ovoav  dtdfcovov.  If 
the  testimony  borne  in  these  two  passages  to  a  minis- 
try of  w^omen  in  the  apostolic  times  had  not  been  tlius 
blotted  out  of  our  English  Bibles,  attention  would 
probably  have  been  directed  to  the  subject  at  an  ear- 
lier date,  and  our  English  Church  would  not  have 
remained  so  long  maimed  in  one  of  her  hands."  * 

"  Let  these  first  be  proved  "  (verse  10).  "]^ot  by 
prefixing  a  ]:>eriod  of  probation  ;  but  by  the  scrutiny 
of  the  Church  and  eldership,  carefully  noting  their 
lives,  character,  and  qualifications,  and  making  them 
a  matter  of  free  discussion,  in  order  to  a  right  decision 
by  vote  before  ordination."  f  These  servants  of  the 
Church,  men   and  women,  were  selected,   examined, 

*  J.  B.  Lightfoot,  D.D ,  Revision  of  Nno  lest,  p.  104. 
f  Whedon,  in  loco. 


The  Ordination  of  Deaconesses.  91 

and  voted  on,  accepted  or  rejected,  as  the  mind  of  the 
Church  might  be  in  regard  to  them.  Tlie  office  was 
not,  hke  that  of  healing,  prophecy,  and  tlie  gift  of 
tongues,  a  special  gift  and  calling  bj  the  Holy  Ghost 
without  the  agency  of  man,  but  a  selection  made  by 
tlie  Church  of  those  whom  they  thought  qualified, 
both  by  gifts  and  graces,  to  fill  the  position.  In  the 
post-apostolic  Church  the  examination  included  these 
special  features ;  namely,  age,  condition  in  the  world, 
conversation,  and  understanding. 

iSome  of  the  Church  fathers,  applying  to  the  dea- 
coness the  words  of  Paul  which  he  spoke  concerning 
widows,  fixes  the  age  of  their  ordination  at  sixty.  The 
fifteenth  canon  of  the  Council  of  Chalcedon  enacts 
that  ''the  deaconess  shall  not  be  ordained  before  her 
fortieth  year."  This  was  confirmed  by  several  later 
enactments,  and  was  for  many  years  the  age  at  which 
she  was  ordained. 

The  diaconate  was  regarded  as  a  stepping-stone  to 
a  higher  office  or  degree  in  the  sacred  ministry.  It  is 
in  this  sense  that  the  words  of  Paul  are  understood  by 
many  :  "  For  they  that  have  used  the  office  of  a  deacon 
well  purchase  to  themselves  a  good  degree,  and  great 
boldness  in  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  1  Tim. 
iii,  13.  (See  Wesley,  Wordsworth,  and  Whedon.) 
Not  that  all  who  served  as  deacons  would  be  advanced 
to  the  presbyterate,  but  the  custom  was  to  select  from 
the  most  excellent  or  devoted  Christian  people  the 
deacons  and  deaconesses,  and  some  of  these,  who  were 


92         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

called  of  God,  were  advanced  to  the  higher  orders  in 
the  Christian  ministry.  "  In  the  Clementine  Consti- 
tntions  are  prayers  for  the  deacon  in  which  we  read 
the  words  :  '  Render  worthy  him  who  has  performed 
the  deaconship  to  him  committed,  inflexibly,  blame- 
lessly, nnimpeachably,  to  be  exalted  to  a  higher  step^"^ 
Lord  King  also  shows  that  this  was  the  connnon  rule. 
Those  who  in  the  inferior  positions  and  offices  of  the 
Church  showed  their  ability  and  integrity  were  exalted 
to  the  higher,  gradually  proceeding  through  all  the 
others  till  they  came  to  the  supreme  office  of  all."t 

In  the  early  Church  a  direct  call  of  God  was  not 
deemed  essential  to  the  office  and  work  of  a  deacon  or 
deaconess,  as  we  believe  it  is  in  the  case  of  those  who 
preach  God's  word  ;  yet  it  would  seem  most  probable 
that  those  who  served  at  the  altar  as  the  servants  of 
the  bishop,  w^atched  over  the  flock  of  God,  and  read 
homilies  to  the  congregation  in  the  absence  of  the  su- 
perior minister  would  feel  impelled  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  preach  the  word,  as  did  the  original  deacons, 
Stephen  and  Philip,  and  thus  add  to  the  diaconate  the 
work  of  an  evangelist.  There  is  no  doubt  but  this  was 
the  case  from  the  beginning. 

When  the  deacon  or  other  of  the  lower  ecclesiastics 
felt  this  call  of  God  did  they  make  it  known  ?  "  Who- 
soever desired  to  be  admitted  into  this  sacred  office 
(the  presbyterate),  he  first  proposed  himself  to  the 
presbytery  of  the  parish  where  he  dwelt  and  was  to 

*  WliedoD,  in  loco.  \  Primitive  Church,  p.  72. 


The  Oedination  of  Deaconesses.  93 

be  ordained,  desiring  their  consent  to  Lis  designed 
intention,  praying  them  to  confer  upon  him  those 
lioly  orders  which  he  craved."*  If,  after  due  exam- 
ination, he  was  found  worthy  he  was  elected  and  or- 
dained. 

As  to  the  promotion  of  men-deacons  to  the  presby- 
terate  there  is  no  doubt ;  but  w^ere  any  of  the  women- 
deacons  of  the  early  Church  so  promoted  ? 

Paul  says  :  "  The  aged  women  likewise,  that  they  be 
in  behavior  as  becometh  holiness ;  not  false  accusers, 
not  given  to  much  wine,  teachers  of  good  things." 
Titus  ii,  3.  Some  of  the  best  modern  critics,  both 
German  and  English,  infer  from  this  the  existence  of 
female  presbyters.  "  As  the  manners  of  the  Greeks 
did  not  permit  men  to  have  much  intercourse  with 
women  of  character,  unless  they  were  their  relatives, 
and  as  the  Asiatics  were  under  still  greater  restraints, 
it  was  proper  that  an  order  of  female  teachers  sliould 
be  instituted  in  the  Church  for  instructing  the  young 
of  their  own  sex.  These  it  seems  were  generally 
widows,  Clement  of  Alexandria  reckoning  widows 
among  ecclesiastical  persons  ;  and  Grotius  tells  us  tliat 
these  female  j)resbyters,  or  elders,  were  ordained  by 
imposition  of  hands  till  the  Council  of  Laodicea."f 

The  passage  from  Clement  is  as  follows :  "  Innu- 
merable commands  such  as  these  are  written  in  tlie 
Holy  Bible  appertaining  to  chosen  persons,  some  to 
presbyters,  some  to  bishops,  some  to  deacons,  others 

*  King's  Primitive  Church,  p.  73.         f  Dr.  Benson,  in  loco. 

1 


04  Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

to  widows."  *  Widows  here  being  named  witli  pres- 
byters, bishops,  and  deacons  as  chosen  persons  indi- 
cates that  they  held  official  position  to  which  they 
were  chosen  by  the  Church. 

On  the  same  passage  Dean  Howson  remarks  :  "  In 
the  Epistle  to  Titus  certain  '  aged  women '  are  men- 
tioned whose  qualilications  are  very  much  the  same 
as  those  required  elsewhere  of  presbyters  and  bishops, 
especially  in  regard  to  their  being  '  apt  to  teach.' 
This  circumstance  might  at  first  seem  of  no  great 
moment,  but  we  are  inclined  to  attend  to  it  a  little 
more  closely  when  we  notice  that  the  word  translated 
'  ao-ed  women '  is  not  that  which  elsewhere  in  the 
pastoral  epistles  is  rendered  'elder  women,'  but  is 
precisely  one  of  the  terras  employed  by  primitive 
Greek  writers  as  an  official  designation  of  those  who 
did  the  work  of  deaconesses.  So  of  the  Svidows ' 
mentioned  (1  Tim.  v,  9)  as  placed  on  a  definite  'list' 
or  '  roll,'  we  observe  that  their  qualifications  are  re- 
markably like  those  required  of  presbyters.  At  first 
sight  we  might  be  disposed  to  think  only  of  widows 
registered  for  the  receipt  of  relief.  .  .  .  But  when 
we  look  well  at  the  whole  context,  when  we  notice  the 
limitations  of  age,  .  .  .  we  seem  to  see  along  w^ith  the 
receipt  of  support  from  the  Church  correlatice  duties 
also  implied;  we  seem  to  discover  traces  of  an  order 
of  widow^s,  not  identical  perhaps  with  the  deaconesses, 
but  belonging  to  a  different  department  of  the  same 

*  Clement,  Instructor,  Book  iii,  c.  xii. 


The  Ordination  of  Deaconesses.  95 

kind  of  organization."  *  Professor  Ellicott  remarks 
that  the  ditties  of  these  '^  widows "  were  probably 
*'  presbjterial  ratlier  than  diaconic."  Dean  Alford 
takes  the  same  view,  and  Dr.  Wordsworth  closes  his 
note  on  the  passage  in  the  following  words :  "  We 
may  also  be  permitted  to  cherish  a  hope  that  these 
apostolic  counsels  may  hereafter  bear  more  abundant 
fruit  than  is  now  the  case.  The  offices  of  the  dea- 
coness and  of  the  widow  are  here  commended  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  the  reverent  regard  and  affectionate 
use  of  the  Church.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that 
these  offices  have  fallen  almost  into  desuetude  by 
reason  of  the  human  corruptions  by  which  the  divine 
counsels  of  the  apostle  hav  ebeen  marred,  especially 
from  the  imposition  of  vows  of  celibacy.  The  abuses 
by  which  these  offices  have  been  blemished  have  en- 
tailed on  the  Church  a  forfeiture  of  the  benefits  de- 
rivable from  the  offices  themselves.  But  it  is  the 
part  of  the  Reformation  to  separate  the  abuses  of 
tilings  from  the  things  themselves  that  are  abused. 
And  it  would  be  a  blessed  work  of  Christian  charity 
to  restore  the  office  of  widow  and  deaconess  in  the 
Church  to  their  primitive  simplicity  ;  and  so  to  en- 
gage the  affections  and  sympathies,  and  to  exercise  the 
quiet  piety  and  devout  zeal  of  Christian  women,  old 
and  yonng,  in  the  service  of  Christ  in  a  regular  and 
orderly  manner,  under  the  guidance  of  lawful  author- 
ity, and  with  its  commission  and  benediction,  accord- 
*Dean  Howson,  p.  57. 


96         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

ing  to  tlie  apostolic  model  prescribed  l)y  the  Holy 
Ghost."- 

On  1  Tim.  v,  9,  Yan  Oosterzee  says  :  "  Such  wid- 
ows, called  presbyteresses,  seem  to  have  had  tlie  same 
relation  toward  their  own  sex  as  the  presbyters  to- 
ward the  men.  .  .  .  True,  we  find  no  further  trace 
of  such  an  institution  in  the  apostolic  letters  ;  but 
this  one  is  quite  sufficient,  and  the  oldest  Church  fa- 
thers also  call  it  an  apostolic  tradition."  f 

This  author  thinks  the  order  of  deaconesses  grew 
out  of  the  more  ancient  order  of  presbyterewses. 
This,  no  doubt,  is  an  error,  as  the  great  preponder- 
ance of  scholarship  and  authority  places  the  deacon- 
ess in  the  a230Stolic  Church  side  by  side  with  the 
female  presbyter.  Dr.  Washburn,  the  translator  of 
Yan  Oosterzee,  says :  "  We  can  easily  understand 
that  such  a  Church  widowhood  had  its  official  duty 
and  honor ;  and  as  the  ranks  of  Church  authority  be- 
came more  settled,  as  the  deacon  became  at  last  the 
assistant  of  the  presbyter,  so  the  deaconess,  hitherto 
a  general  phrase  for  such  ministering  women,  became 
an  order  next  to  that  of  the  female  presbyter."  :j:  And 
no  doubt  some  deaconesses,  who  had  proved  them- 
selves worthy,  had  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  pres- 
byteresses. 

Many  commentators  believe  the  passage  Titus  ii,  3, 

has  reference  to  aged  women  members  of  the  Church, 

*  Wordsworth,  quoted  by  Howson,  p.  55. 

f  Van  Oosterzee,  Lange,  in  loco.         X  Washburn,  Lange,  in  loco. 


The  Okdixation  of  Deaconesses.  97 

and  not  to  any  special  persons  holding  an  official  re- 
lation. Be  this  as  it  may,  we  lind  traces  of  the  fe- 
male presbyters  in  the  canons  of  the  councils  and  the 
writings  of  the  Church  fathers.  The  eleventh  canon 
of  the  Council  of  Laodicea  (A.  D.  360  to  370)  forbids 
the  appointment  of  female  elders  or  presbyters,  and 
the  forty-fourth  canon  forbids  women  entering  into  the 
altar.  The  following  is  the  original  and  translation  of 
the  eleventh  canon  as  given  by  Ludlow  : 

"  Uepl  Tov  ji7]  Selv  rag  Xeyofievag  npeafivrldag,  fjTOt 
nponadrjUEvagj  tv  EHnXfiala  fcadtaraGdat,  '  That  one  ought 
not  to  establish  in  the  Church  the  women  called  npea- 
(ivTidag,  or  presidents ' — rendered  in  the  Latin,  both 
by  Dionysius  Exiguus  and  the  later  Helvetus,  '  pres- 
byterge,'  'prsesidentes.' "  * 

On  this  point  we  give  another  criticism.  "Of 
particular  interest  among  the  decisions  of  this  council 
is  Canon  11,  forbidding  the  employment  of  women 
as  preachers.  Hefele  holds  that  the  canon  has  hardly 
been  properly  translated,  and  that  the  desire  of  the 
council  was  simply  to  forbid  superior  deaconesses  in 
the  Church.  The  difficulty  as  to  the  meaning  arises 
from  the  fact  that  the  canons  were  written  in  Greek, 
and  the  question  hinges  on  the  tneanmg  intended  for 
7Tpeu[3i!~L6Eg  and  fTpoaadriiiEvaiy  f 

This  canon  must  have  been  aimed  at  a  practice 
then  in  vogue,  that  of  ordaining  women  to  the  pres- 
byterate.     We  find  also  in  the  canons  of  the  Council 

*  Ludlow,  p.  224.  f  McClintock  &  Strong,  art.  "  Laodicea." 


98         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

or  Synod  of  Home,  A.  D.  720  or  721,  anatbeinas 
pronounced  atrainst  "  whosoever  should  marry  a  fe- 
male presbyter."  Here  are  references  to  an  or- 
dained officer  in  the  Church  at  two  distinct  periods, 
at  least  three  hundred  and  lifty  years  apart.  If  the 
eleventh  canon  of  the  Council  of  Laodicea  be  rightly 
understood  as  forbidding  the  ordination  of  female 
presbyters,  then  it  is  evident  that  the  canons  of 
councils  did  not  always  prohibit  the  practices 
against  which  they  were  directed.  Canon  after 
canon  was  enacted  against  the  ordination  of  deacon- 
esses, and  yet  for  centuries  afterward  the  practice 
remained.  The  Council  of  Orange,  Canon  26,  "  for- 
bids the  ordination  of  deaconesses  in  future,  and 
directs  that  those  actually  ordained  shall  receive 
the  benediction  together  with  lay  persons."  The 
Council  of  Epaon,  Canon  26,  interdicts  wholly  within 
its  jurisdiction  the  consecration  of  "  widows  who  are 
called  deaconesses.""  * 

These  interdictions  did  not  prevent  the  ordina,- 
tion  of  deaconesses.  If  forbidden  in  one  place  it 
was  allowed  in  another.  In  A.  D.  441  it  was  for- 
bidden by  the  Council  of  Orange,  in  A.  D.  517  by 
the  Council  of  Epaon,  but  in  A.  D.  533  the  second 
Council  of  Orleans  enacted  the  "excommunication 
of  any  woman  who,  having  received  hitherto  the 
blessing  of  the  diaconate  against  the  interdicts  of 
the  canons,  shall  have  married  again  ;  showing  that 
*  Ludlow,  p.  65. 


The  Okdixation  of  Deaconesses.  99 

in  spite  of  previous  proliibitioiis  the  practice  of  or- 
daining deaconesses  still  existed."  *  We  can  see  no 
reason  why  women  should  not  hav^e  been  ordained 
to  the  presbvtei-ate,  in  spite  of  the  canons  forbid- 
ding it,  as  was  the  case  with  female  deacons.  The 
practice  was  less  common,  however,  and  the  notices 
of  them  are  more  rare. 

''While  some  of  the  Montanists  allowed  women 
to  be  bishops  and  presbyters,  their,  practice  was 
strongly  opposed  as  unscriptural,  and  Tertullian  con- 
demns the  allowing  of  women  to  baptize  as  contrary 
to  the  apostolic  teaching.  Yet  it  may  well  be 
doubted  whether  this  was  the  earlier  view  of  the 
Church,  before  the  sacerdotal  character  of  the  minis- 
try had  come  to  be  generally  recognized."  f 

It  miglit  be  proper  to  inquire  as  to  the  motive 
that  prompted  the  women  of  the  early  Church  to 
seek  ordination  to  the  work  of  the  sacred  ministry. 
We  liave  no  right  to  expect  a  higher  order  of  virtue 
in  women  than  in  men,  thongh  we  believe  as  a  rule 
they  are  more  devotional  in  spirit  and  more  self- 
sacrificing  in  nature.  Unworthy  motives,  no  doubt, 
actuated  some;  motives  of  worldly  policy  and  ambi- 
tion, stress  of  circumstances,  and  domestic  infelicity. 
Others  were  moved  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  seek 
ordination,  and  thus  consecrate  themselves  to  God 
and  the  Church  for  the  welfare  of  humanity. 
Scenes  of  ignorance  and  suffering  around  them  ap- 
*  Ludlow,  p.  66.  f  BeimetL's  Christ  Arch.,  p.  369. 


100        Deacdnesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


pealed  to  tlieii-  benevolent  hearts,  and  a  yearning 
for  God  would  prompt  them  to  seek  that  nearness 
to  him  and  endowment  of  spiritual  power  which 
ordination  by  the  imposition  of  hands  was  supposed 
to  bring. 

The  following,  which  Ludlow  calls  the  most  in- 
teresting incident  to  be  found  in  the  annals  of  the 
Western  Church,  will  illustrate  the  customs  and 
feeling  in  regard  to  deaconesses  which  prevailed  in 
the  sixth  century.  It  occurs  in  the  story  of  St. 
Radegund,  a  Thuringian  princess,  wife  of  the  Mero- 
vingian Chlothar  I.  of  JN^eustria.  After  a  long  pe- 
riod of  domestic  wretchedness  by  the  side  of  a 
brutal  husband,  and  after  seeing  at  least  her  only 
surviving  brother,  a  hostage  at  Chlothar's  convent, 
put  to  death  by  his  orders,  the  queen  fled  to  St. 
Medard,  Bishop  of  Noyon.  As  he  was  in  his 
church  officiating  at  the  altar  she  approached  him 
crying,  "  Most  holy  priest,  I  must  leave  the  world 
and  change  my  garments.  I  entreat  thee,  most  holy 
priest,  do  thou  consecrate  me  to  the  Lord."  The 
bishop  hesitated.  The  Frankish  lords  and  warriors 
Mdio  had  followed  the  queen  began  to  surround 
them  and  to  cry  aloud  with  threatening  gestures, 
"  Beware  how  thou  givest  the  veil  to  a  woman  who 
is  married  to  the  king !  Priest,  refrain  from  robbing 
the  prince  of  his  solemnly  wedded  queen."  The 
most  furious  among  them,  throwing  hands  upon 
him,  dragged  him  violently  from  the  altar-steps  into 


The  Ordination  of  Deaconesses.  101 

tlie  nave  of  the  church,  while  the  qneen,  affrighted 
with  the  tumult,  was  seeking  with  her  women  a 
refuge  in  the  vestry.  But  here,  collecting  herself, 
she  threw  a  nun's  dress  over  her  regal  garments, 
and,  thus  disguised,  proceeded  toward  the  sanctuary 
where  St.  Medard  was  sitting  "  If  thou  shouldst 
delay  consecrating  me,"  said  she,  in  a  lii-m  voice, 
"  and  shouldst  fear  men  more  than  God,  thou  wilt 
have  to  render  thy  account,  and  the  Shepherd  shall 
require  of  thee  the  soul  of  his  sheep."  He  ceased 
to  hesitate,  and  of  his  own  authority  dissolved 
Radegnnd's  marriage  by  consecrating  her  a  deacon 
through  the  laying  on  of  hands  {manu  sujjerjposita 
consecravit  diaconam).  The  Frankish  lords  and  vas- 
sals, carried  away  in  their  turn  by  the  same  feelings, 
durst  no  more  take  forcibly  back  to  the  royal  resi- 
dence one  who  in  their  eyes  bare  from  henceforth  the 
twofold  character  of  a  queen  and  of  a  woman  conse- 
crated to  God's  service. 

On  this  narrative  Ludlow  has  the  following  reflec- 
tion :  "  This  points  us  to  a  startling  fact,  which  has 
no  parallel  in  Eastern  annals,  that  ordination  to  the 
female  diaconate  in  the  West  was  by  this  time  consid- 
ered equivalent  to  divorce."*  We  may  also  remark 
that  the  Church  was  a  refuge  for  distressed  souls,  and 
inculcated  mercy  and  tenderness  in  the  midst  of  bar- 
baric cruelty ;  that  superstition  was  mixed  with  rev- 
ei-ence  for  sacred  things,  artd  that  the  Church  was  fast 
*  Ludlow,  p.  69.     This  narrative  is  condensed  from  Ludlow. 


102        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

drifting  toward  that  severe  monacliisin  which  was  so 
largely  dev^eloped  at  a  later  period.  This  deaconess 
subsecpeiitly  formed  a  sort  of  free  convent,  where  the 
pleasures  of  literary  society,  even  with  men,  were 
combined  with  devotional  exercises  and  good  works. 
We  would  not  impugn  the  motives  of  tliis  queen  in 
seeking  ordination  to  the  work  of  God.  While  a  de- 
sire to  be  free  from  a  cruel  and  ungodly  husband  was 
an  element  in  it,  her  sev^ere  trials  may  have  led  her  to 
that  prayer  and  devotion  that  issued  in  her  consecra- 
tion. 

The  operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  liearts  of 
men  and  women  have  in  every  age  been  the  same, 
only  modified  by  surrounding  circumstances  and  vary- 
ing views  of  Gospel  truth.  In  apostolic  times  women 
"  prophesied,"  and  some  were  set  apart  as  deaconesses 
to  serve  God  in  his  sanctuary,  or  teach  the  ignorant, 
visit  the  sick,  and  comfort  those  who  were  in  distress. 
These  impulses  to  Christian  activity  did  not  die  with 
them  ;  they  have  been  felt  in  every  age  by  godly 
women,  and  one  of  the  greatest  losses  tlie  world  has 
ever  suffered,  and  one  of  the  greatest  hinderances  to 
its  evangelization,  has  been  that  these  impulses  have 
been  restrained  and  misdirected  by  men.  Unnatural 
vows  and  a  monastic  life  have  absorbed  and  made  bar- 
ren of  good  what  would  have  brought  to  the  world  a 
rich  liarvest  of  blessing. 


The  Work,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.    103 


CHAPTER  yilL 

thp:  work,  character,  and  persecutions  of  the 
ancient  deaconesses. 

It  lias  been  observed  that  the  deaconess  of  the  ear- 
liest centuries  was  a  parish  deaconess ;  that  is,  she 
was  a  part  of  the  local  church  organization,  not  living 
in  community  like  those  of  the  early  Middle  Ages  or 
those  of  modern  times.  As  Phebe  was  attached  to  a 
particular  church,  so  others  were  attached  to  other 
churches,  and  there  were  more  or  less  of  them  accord- 
ino^  to  the  needs  of  the  cono^reo^ation.  Her  work 
would  be  such  as  has  already  been  described,  per- 
forming for  the  female  portion  what  the  deacon  did 
for  the  male  portion  of  the  Church  membership,  espe- 
cially catechizing  and  instructing  the  catechumens, 
preparing  them  for  baptism  and  assisting  in  the  cere- 
mony when  the  women  were  baptized.  They  also 
assisted  in  the  arrangements  for  the  agapce,  or  love- 
feasts. 

They  also  had  special  duties  in  relation  to  the  sick 
and  poor,  bearing  to  them  the  alms  of  the  charitable 
and  offering  the  consolations  of  the  Gosj)el  of  Christ. 
There  is  another  feature  of  their  pious  work  which 
was  peculiarly  suited  to  their  tender,  sympathetic  nat- 


104        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

ure — the  taking  special  care  of  tlie  suffering  martjTS 
and  confessors  in  prison,  who  in  the  iirst  centuries 
were  often  confined  in  some  loathsome  dungeon,  un- 
til the  great  festivals,  when  thej  were  brought  out 
and  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts  in  the  aniphitheater  to 
be  torn  in  pieces,  as  a  cruel  pastime  to  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  pagans.  The  deaconess  could  find  access  to 
them  when  others  could  not,  and  so  fulfilled  her 
peaceful  and  comforting  ministry,  pre  eminentlj^  one 
of  succor  and  consolation.  This  part  of  their  work 
w^as  called  for  from  the  beginning,  as  persecution  was 
coeval  with  the  Church.  It  is  likely  that  these  hum- 
ble officers  or  servants  shielded  the  more  prominent 
ones  in  times  of  danger.  Priscilla  and  Aquila  had 
"laid  down  their  necks"  for  Paul,  and  others, 
no  doubt,  in  those  days  of.  persecution,  performed 
acts  of  noble  heroism  in  connection  with  their  min- 
istry. 

The  wonderful  spread  of  Christianity  in  Rome 
gave  rise  to  the  persecution  under  Nero.  Public 
clamor  found  in  that  wicked  tyrant  a  pliant  tool  to 
carry  out  its  wishes.  Christians  were  maligned  and 
accused  of  base  crimes,  and  public  execration  was  loud 
against  them.  "  To  put  to  silence  the  rumors  against 
himself,"  says  Tacitus,  "  Nero  laid  his  own  crime  on 
certain  persons  rendered  odious  by  their  heinous 
offenses,  and  whom  the  people  called  Christians ;  on 
these  he  inflicted  the  most  cruel  punishments."  The 
accusations  against  them  were  false.     Justin  Mai'tyr, 


The  Work,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.    105 

in  his  denial,  gives  us  an  idea  of  what  they  were. 
*•  Do  joii  believe,"  he  exclaims,  "  that  we  devour  men, 
and  that,  after  our  evening  meal,  we  extinguish  the 
lights  to  cover  with  darkness  a  hideous  debauch?" 
"  Thej  drink  the  blood  of  a  child,"  says  one,  "  divide 
its  members  among  them,  make  a  covenant  over  this 
horrid  sacrifice,  and  are  pledged  to  silence  by  their 
common  participation  in  crime."  *  "  The  pious  Chris- 
tian, as  he  was  desirous  to  obtain,  or  to  escape,  the 
glory  of  martyrdom,  expected,  either  with  impatience 
or  with  terror,  the  stated  returns  of  the  public  games 
and  festivals."  f 

Persecution  after  persecution  succeeded  each  other 
for  many  generations,  and  tens  of  thousands  fell  vic- 
tims to  the  rage  and  cruelty  of  pagan  rulers  and  com- 
munities. The  deaconesses  would  thei-efore  find  an 
abundance  of  opportunity  to  manifest  their  love  and 
heroism.  The  strong  attachment  to  each  other  shown 
by  the  early  Christians  was  impressive  and  beautiful. 
No  sufferer  was  forgotten  by  the  Church,  but  those 
bound  and  in  prison  were  remembered  as  well  as 
those  at  liberty  and  in  palaces. 

"Persons  cast  into  prison  on  account  of  their  faith 
were  visited,  and  supplied  with  necessary  provisions. 
The  unfortunate  men  who  were  condemned  to  the 
mines,  and  who  were  compelled  to  submit  to  the 
cruelty  of  harsh,  unfeeling  masters,  were  not  forgotten 
by  the  sympathizing  Church.     The  deeper  the  misery 

*  Early  Years  of  Christianity,  p.  225.         f  Gibbon,  vol.  ii,  p.  28. 


1U6        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


and  the  greater  tlie  peril  the  more  brightly  shone  the 
light  of  charity,  and  extraordinary  care  was  bestowed 
npon  those  whose  lot  was  peculiarly  trying.  The 
charities  at  such  times  were  generous  and  method- 
ical." ^ 

It  cannot  be  expected  that  the  deaconesses  could 
escape  a  share  in  these  persecutions.  The  ministers, 
the  propagators  and  defenders  of  the  faith,  are  gen- 
erally the  first  to  suffer,  and  that  the  most  severely. 
The  w^omen  were  not  exempt  w^hen  Saul  persecuted 
the  Church  in  Jerusalem.  He  went  into  every  house, 
"  and  haling  men  and  women  committed  them  to 
prison,"  and  extended  his  inquisitorial  investigations 
to  strange  cities,  to  bring  all  that  he  could  find,  ''men 
and  women,  bound  to  Jerusalem."  The  Roman  pagan 
w^ould  not  be  more  lenient  than  the  Jew. 

Gibbon,  speaking  of  the  efforts  made  by  the  Roman 
magistrate  to  elicit  from  the  persecuted  Christian  a 
denial  of  Christianity  :  says,  "  Varying  his  tone,  ac- 
cording to  the  age,  the  sex,  or  the  situation  of  the 
prisoners,  he  frequently  condescended  to  set  before 
their  eyes  any  circumstance  which  could  render  life 
more  pleasing,  or  death  more  terrible ;  and  to  solicit, 
nay,  to  entreat  them,  that  they  would  show  some  com- 
passion to  themselves,  to  their  families  and  their 
friends."  f  "  It  is  related  that  pious  females,  who 
were  prepared  to  despise  death,  w^ere  sometimes  con 

*  Bennett,  Christ  Arch.,  p.  496. 
f  Decline  and  Fall,  vol.  ii,  p.  30. 


The  Work,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.  107 

demned  to  a  more  severe  trial,  and  called  upon  to  de- 
termine whether  they  set  a  higher  value  on  their 
religion  or  on  their  chastity."  These  were  called  by 
the  judge  who  condemned  them  "  impious  virgins," 
who  refused  to  burn  incense  on  the  altars  of  Yen  us. 
This  is  regarded  by  Gibbon  as  the  mere  fabrication 
of  monks,  but  Milman  says,  "  The  more  ancient  as 
well  as  authentic  memorials  of  the  Church  relate 
many  examples  of  the  fact  of  these  severe  trials, 
wdiich  there  is  nothing  to  contradict."  *  It  is  also 
confirmed  by  Eusebius,  who  says  that,  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, "  the  females,  also,  no  less  than  the  men, 
were  strengtliened  by  the  doctrine  of  the  divine 
word  ;  so  that  some  endured  tlie  same  trials  as  the 
men,  and  bore  away  the  same  prizes  of  excellence. 
Some  w4ien  forced  away  yielded  up  their  lives  rather 
than  submit  to  the  violation  of  tlieir  bodies."  f 

All  females  who  thus  suffered  were  not  deaconesses. 
Some  w^ere  virgins,  and  may  have  been  of  the  order 
of  deaconesses.  If  the  ordinary  female  members  of 
the  Christian  community  suffered,  no  doubt  tlie  fe- 
male ministers  did.  There  is  evidence  in  Pliny's 
letter  to  Trajan  that  this  was  the  case.  He  was  the 
friend  of  the  emperor,  and  was  appointed  President 
of  Bithynia,  about  A.  D.  106,  when  some  who  had 
seen  the  apostles  must  have  been  still  living.  He 
found  the  country  so  full  of  Christians,  and  met  with 

*  Decline  and  Fall,  vol.  ii,  p.  30  ;  and  Milman's  note. 
f  Eusebius,  Book  viii,  c.  14. 


108        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

so  many  who  were  ready  to  suffer  martyrdom,  that  at 
length,  tired  of  executions,  he  wrote  to  the  Emperor 
Trajan  for  directions.  This  letter  is  so  well  authenti- 
cated and  so  celebrated  in  Christian  historical  evidence, 
giving  as  it  does  snch  an  interesting  picture,  both  of 
the  purity  and  sufferings  of  the  early  Christians,  that 
we  feel  justified  in  inserting  it  entire  : 

'•It  is  my  constant  custom,  sir,  to  refer  myself  to 
you  in  all  matters  concerning  which  I  have  any  doubt. 
For  who  can  better  direct  me  where  I  hesitate,  or  in- 
struct me  where  I  am  ignorant  ?  I  have  never  been 
present  at  any  trials  of  Christians,  so  that  1  know  not 
well  what  is  the  subject-matter  of  punishment  or  of 
inquiry,  or  what  strictness  ought  to  be  used  in  either. 
'Nor  have  I  been  a  little  perplexed  to  determine 
whether  any  difference  ought  to  be  made  upon  ac- 
count of  ages,  or  whether  the  tender  and  the  robust 
ought  to  be  treated  all  alike  ;  whether  repentance 
should  entitle  to  pardon,  or  whether  it  shall  be  of  no 
advantage  to  him  who  has  once  been  a  Chi'istian  to 
have  ceased  being  such ;  whether  the  name  itself,  al- 
though no  crimes  be  detected,  or  whether  only  crimes 
belonging  to  the  name  ought  to  be  punished.  Con- 
cerning all  these  things  I  am  in  doubt. 

"  In  the  meantime  I  have  taken  this  course  with 
all  who  have  been  brought  before  me,  and  have  been 
accused  as  Christians.  I  have  put  the  question  to 
them  whether  they  were  Christians.  Upon  their 
confessing  to  me  that  they  were,  I  repeated  the  ques- 


The  Woek,  etc.,  of  xIncient  Deaconesses.   109 

tioii  a  second  and  a  third  time,  threatening  also  to 
punisli  them  with  death.  Such  as  still  persisted,  I 
ordered  to  be  led  away  ;  for  it  was  no  doubt  with  me, 
whatever  it  was  they  should  have  confessed,  that 
contumacy  and  inflexible  obstinacy  ought  to  be  pun- 
ished. There  were  others  of  the  same  madness, 
w^iom,  because  they  are  Roman  citizens,  I  have  noted 
down  to  be  sent  to  the  city. 

"  In  a  short  time,  the  crime  spreading  itself  even 
whilst  under  persecution,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases, 
divers  sort  of  people  came  in  my  way.  An  informa- 
tion was  presented  to  me  without  mentioning  the 
author,  containing  the  names  of  many  persons,  who, 
upon  examination,  denied  that  they  were  Christians, 
or  had  ever  been  so,  who  repeated  after  me  an  invo- 
cation of  the  gods,  and  with  wine  and  frankincense 
sacrificed  to  your  image,  which,  for  that  purpose,  I 
had  caused  to  be  brought  and  set  before  them,  to- 
gether with  the  statues  of  the  deities.  Moreover, 
they  reviled  the  name  of  Christ ;  none  of  which 
things,  as  is  said,  they  who  are  really  Christians  can, 
by  any  means,  be  compelled  to  do ;  these,  therefore, 
I  thought  proper  to  discharge. 

"  Others  were  named  by  an  informer,  who  at  first 
confessed  themselves  Christians,  and  afterward  denied 
it.  The  rest  said  they  had  been  Christians,  but  had 
left  them,  some  three  years  ago,  some  longer,  and 
one  or  more  above  twenty  years.  They  all  worshiped 
your  image,  and  the  statues  of  the  gods ;  they  also  re- 


110        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

viled  Christ.  Thej  affirmed  that  the  whole  of  their 
fault  or  error  lay  in  this :  that  thej  were  accustomed 
to  meet  together  on  a  stated  day  before  it  was  light, 
and  sang  among  themselves,  aUernately,  a  hymn  to 
Christ  as  a  God  (or  addressed  themselves  in  a  form 
of  prayer  to  Christ  as  to  some  God),  and  bound  them- 
selves by  an  oath  (sacramento)  not  to  tlie  commission 
of  any  wickedness,  but  not  to  be  guilty  of  theft,  or 
robbery,  or  adultery  ;  never  to  falsify  their  word,  nor 
to  deny  a  pledge  committed  to  them,  when  called  upon 
to  return  it.  When  these  things  were  performed,  it 
was  their  custom  to  separate,  and  then  to  come  to- 
gether again  to  a  meal  promiscuous  and  harmless, 
but  which  had  been  forborne  since  the  publication  of 
my  edict,  by  which,  according  to  your  commands,  I 
prohibited  assemblies. 

"  Through  this  I  judged  it  more  necessary  to  exam- 
ine, and  that  by  torture,  two  maid-servants,  who  were 
called  ministers;*  but  I  have  discovered  nothing  be- 
sides a  bad  and  excessive  superstition. 

*'  Suspending,  therefore,  proceeding,  I  have  recourse 
to  you  for  advice.  Fur  it  has  appeared  to  me  a  matter 
worthy  of  consideration,  especially  on  account  of  the 
great  number  of  persons  who  are  in  danger  of  suffer- 
ino-.  For  mnnv  of  all  an^cs  and  of  both  sexes  also  are 
brought  into  danger,  and  will  be  brought.     Nor  has 

*  The  "Ancillrequre  ministrce  dkehantur ''^  here  were,  in  all  proba- 
bility, SidKovoi.  ''Minidra''  is  the  term  applied  to  Phebe  in  the 
Vulgate. 


The  Woek,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.  Ill 

the  contnglon  of  this  superstition  spread  through  cities 
oiil}^,  but  through  the  towns  (villages)  and  open  coun- 
try. It  seems  that  it  may  be  restrained  and  corrected. 
It  is  certain  tliat  the  almost  desolated  temples  begin  to 
be  frequented,  and  the  sacred  solemnities,  after  a  long 
intermission,  are  revived;  and  that  the  victims  are 
every- where  bought,  for  which,  before,  a  buyer  was 
very  rarely  found  ;  whence  it  is  easy  to  imagine  what 
a  multitude  of  men  might  be  reclaimed  if  place  were 
granted  for  repentance." 

They  were  examined  by  torture.  If  threats  and 
persuasions  proved  ineffectual,  the  Koman  magistrate 
often  had  recourse  to  violence ;  the  scourge  and  the 
rack  were  called  in  to  supply  the  deficiency  of  argu- 
ment, and  every  art  of  cruelty  was  employed  to  sub- 
due the  inflexible  spirit  of  the  Christian.*^  Pliny's 
method  was  like  that  of  Saul ;  he  "  compelled  them  to 
blaspheme."    {Prceterea  malediGerent  Christo.) 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  as  many  women  as  men 
suffered  in  the  persecutions.  In  the  account  given  by 
Dionysius  to  Eusebius  of  the  persecution  in  Alexan- 
dria he  speaks  often  men  and  seven  women  wlio  suf- 
fered martyrdom.  Of  these  he  names  "  that  admirable 
virgin  ApoUonia,  then  in  advanced  age.  .  .  .  She  ap- 
peared at  first  to  shrink  a  little,  but  when  suffered  to 
go  she  suddenly  sprang  into  the  fire  and  was  con- 
sumed." Also  "  Ammonarium,  a  holy  virgin,  who 
was  ingeniously  tortured  for  a  very  long  time  by  the 

*  Gibbon,  vol.  ii,  p.  30. 


112       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

judge,  because  she  had  plainly  declared  she  would 
utter  none  of  those  expressions  which  he  had  dictated  ; 
and  having  made  good  her  promise  she  was  led  away. 
.  .  .  The  others  were  the  aged  and  venerable  Mercu- 
ria ;  Dionysia  also,  who  was  the  mother  of  many  chil- 
dren, but  did  not  love  them  more  than  the  Lord.  .  .  . 
But  as  to  Ammonarium,  she,  like  a  chief  combatant, 
received  the  greatest  tortures  of  all."^ 

We  would  expect  to  find  some  trace  of  the  deacon- 
ess in  the  catacombs  of  Rome,  those  subterranean 
places  of  refuge,  of  worship,  and  communion  to  which 
the  early  Christians  resorted,  and  where  so  many  of 
them  were  laid  to  rest  to  await  the  resurrection  of 
the  just.  The  consecrated  women  of  the  early  Church 
are  mentioned  by  the  Church  fathers  under  the  names 
didKovoi,  deaconesses,  vidicce,  widows,  or  ancillw  Dei, 
handmaids  of  God. 

"  There  are  several  of  the  early  Christian  inscriptions 
illustrative  of  these  various  classes  of  consecrated 
women,  of  which  the  following  are  examples :  OC  * 
TA  •  YI  •  AE  •  MA  •  TRO  •  ISTAE  •  YI  •  DY  •  AE  • 
DE  •  I  • — '  To  the  matron  Octavia,  a  widow  of  God  ;' 
IIIC  QYIESCIT  GAYDIOSA  CF  ANCILLA  DEI 
QYAE  YIXIT  ANKOS  XL  ET  MEK  Y— '  Here 
rests  Gaudiosa,  a  most  distinguished  woman,  a  hand- 
maid of  God,  who  lived  forty  years  and  live  months,' 
(A.  D.  447) ;  IN  HOC  SEPYLCHRO  REQYIES- 
CIT  PYELLA  YIRGO    SACRA  B  •  M  •  ALEX- 

*  Euseb.,  Eccl.  RisL,  Book  vi,  c.  41. 


The  Woek,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.  113 

ANDRA — '  In  this  tomb  rests  a  girl,  a  sacred  virgin, 
Alexandra,  well  deserving;'  HOC  EST  SEPVL- 
CRVM  SANCTAE  LYCIXAE  YIRGINIS— '  This 
is  the  sepiilcher  of  the  holy  virgin  Lncina  ;'  this,  how- 
ever, may  not  indicate  a  special  class.  AESTOXIx\ 
YIRGO  PEREGRINA  QYAE  YIXIT  ANN  OS 
XLI ;  ET  •  DS  •  YIII  (sic)—'  Estonia,  a  traveling 
virgin,  who  lived  forty-one  years  and  eight  days;'  she 
was  probably  a  member  of  a  distant  church,  received 
on  a  letter  of  recommendation  ;  FYRIA  HELPHIS 
(sic)  YIRGO  DEYOTA— '  Furia  Elpis,  a  consecrated 
virgin.'  In  the  fifth  century,  this  consecration  some- 
times took  place  at  an  early  age,  as  the  following  ex- 
ample, of  date  A.  D.  401 :  PRIE  (sic)  lYXTYS 
PAYS  ABET  (sic)  PRAETIOSA  AKNORYM 
PYLLA  (sic)  YIRGO  XII  TAXTYM  AXCILLA 
DEI  ET  CHRISTI— "  On  the  day  before  (the  cal- 
ends of)  June  Praetiosa  went  to  her  rest,  a  young 
maiden  of  only  twelve  years  of  age,  a  handmaid  of 
God  and  of  Christ."-^ 

The  catechumens  were  learners,  as  the  word  signifies, 
and  were  recognized  as  a  distinct  class,  for  whose  in- 
struction special  provision  was  made.  They  were 
children  of  believers,  born  in  the  Church,  and,  there- 
fore, peculiarly  under  its  care,  and  converts  won  from 
lieathenism,  who  were  ignorant  of  the  principles  of 
Christianity,  necessary  to  be  learned  before  they  could 
receive  the    sacraments  of    baptism  and   the  Lord's 

*  Withrow,  Catacombs,  p.  528. 


Hi        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


Slipper.  These  converts  were  lield  as  probationers. 
The  probationary  term  was  not  of  uniform  duration, 
though  the  council  of  Elvira  prescribed  two  years. 
The  instnuctions,  for  the  most  part,  consisted  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  and  a  formal  confession  of  faith  very 
similar  to  the  Apostles'  Creed,  and  probably  that  out 
of- which  it  grew.  But  at  a  very  early  age  the 
catechumens  were  required  to  subscribe  to  the 
Apostles'  Creed  before  they  were  admitted  to  bap- 
tism. It  is  likely  that  the  deaconess  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  who  instructs  children  and  young 
people,  teaches  them  in  the  same  formula  which,  from 
the  third  and  fourth  centuries,  has  expressed  the  true 
belief  of  the  Church.  It  is  worthy,  being  a  '•  faithful 
compend  of  the  apostles'  doctrines,  and  comprehends 
the  leading  articles  of  the  faith  in  the  triune  God  and 
his  revelation,  from  the  creation  to  the  life  everlasting, 
in  sublime  simplicity,  in  insurpassable  brevity,  in  the 
most  beautiful  order  and  liturgical  solemnity."  ^^ 

The  bishop  himself  was  the  chief  catechist,  and  all 
the  inferior  clergy  were  his  assistants.  Deaconesses 
and  aged  women  instructed  their  own  sex,  and  one  of 
them  was  always  present  when  the  female  catechumens 
were  examined  by  the  n:iale  catechist. 

There  is  ''a  chamber  in  the  Catacomb  of  St.  Agnes, 
which,  it  is  conjectured,  was  employed  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  female  catechumens.  On  either  side  of 
the  doorway  are  seats  or  chairs  hewm  out  of  the  solid 
*  Schaff's  Hcst.  Apost.  Chuych,  p.  568. 


The  Work,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.  115 

tufa,  wliicli  were  probably  occupied  by  the  catechist  and 
the  presiding  deaconess.  The  low  stone  bench  run- 
nincr  around  the  remainins:  walls  of  the  chamber  would 
conveniently  accommodate  the  audientes^  or  hearers, 
as  they  were  called.  ...  In  some  chambers,  probably 
for  the  male  catechumens,  there  is  only  one  tufa  chair, 
no  deaconess  being  present."  * 

The  labors  of  tlie  deaconess  among  the  sick  and  poor 
can  hardly  be  estimated  by  ns,  the  customs  of  the  age 
were  so  different.  In  the  first  centuries  provision  was 
not  made  for  the  poor  and  unfortunate  as  now,  and  a 
much  larger  proportion  of  the  poor  fell  under  the  care 
of  the  Church.  This  would  enhance  the  labors  of  the 
deaconess.  The  Apostolical  Constitutions  specify  as 
one  of  the  duties  of  the  diaconate,  male  and  female, 
"  to  seek  out  cases  of  distress,"  and  large  numbers  of 
the  suffering  poor  were  thus  provided  for,  and  when 
collected  in  communities  the  "  widows "  and  dea- 
conesses cared  for  the  female  portion  and  presided 
over  tbem. 

This  would  call  for  many  deacons  and  deaconesses 
where  the  Church  was  large  and  the  number  of  poor 
considerable.  The  Constitutions  direct  that  they 
shall  be  "  in  number  according  to  the  largeness  of  the 
church,  that  they  may  minister  to  the  infirm  as  work- 
men that  are  not  ashamed.  And  let  tlie  deaconess  be 
diligent  in  taking  care  of  the  women. "f 

We  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  charity  to  the 
*Withrow,  Cat.,  p.  530.  \  Apoat  Cons.,  Book  iii,  c.  19. 


116        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

poor,  and  the  care  of  the  sick,  were  very  proniiiieiit 
forms  of  piety  in  the  early  centuries  of  the  Christian 
era.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  converts  to  Christianity 
of  immense  wealth  to  devote  a  large  portion  to  the 
poor.  Paula,  the  friend  of  Jerome,  did  this,  and  not 
only  parted  with  the  splendor  of  her  former  life,  but 
devoted  herself  to  nursing  the  miserable  and  the  sick. 
In  many  of  the  churches  only  seve?i  deacons  wei-e  al- 
lowed, following  the  example  of  the  church  at  Jeru- 
salem, but  the  deficiency  was  made  good  by  adding  to 
the  number  of  subdeacoiis. 

Eusebius,  in  speaking  of  the  church  at  Rome,  in 
the  middle  of  the  third  century,  enumerates  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty  ministering  men  of  all  grades,  but 
says  there  were  "  widows  with  the  afflicted  and  needy 
more  than  fifteen  hundred,  all  which  the  goodness 
and  love  of  God  doth  support  and  nourish."^  We 
can  infer  from  this  that  "  widows"  were  in  oflicial 
position,  having  under  them  the  whole  class  of  suf- 
ferers. 

We  have  grounds  for  a  fair  estimate  of  the  relative 
number  of  deacons  and  deaconesses  in  a  large  congre- 
gation in  early  times.  Attached  to  the  mother  church 
in  Constantinople  were  one  hundred  deacons  and  forty 
deaconesses,  and  to  a  small  church  in  the  suburbs  six 
deaconesses. 

Chrysostom,  enforcing  the  duty  of  benevolence 
toward  the  poor,  says  :    "  And  that  thou  mayest  know 

*  Eusebius,  Book  vi,  c.  43, 


The  Work,  etc.,  of  Anciext  Deaconesses.  117 

tlie  inliumanitj  of  the  others,  when  the  Church  is 
possessed  of  a  revenue  of  one  of  the  lowest  among  the 
wealtliy,  and  not  of  the  very  rich,  consider  liow  many 
widows  it  succors  every  day,  liow^  many  virgins,  for, 
indeed,  the  hst  of  them  hath  already  reached  unto  tlie 
number  of  three  thousand.  Together  with  these  she 
succors  them  that  dwell  in  the  prison,  the  sick  in 
the  caravansary,  the  healthy,  those  that  are  absent  from 
their  home,  those  that  are  maimed  in  their  bodies,  tliose 
tliat  wait  upon  the  altar,  and,  with  respect  to  food  and 
raiment,  them  that  casually  con:ie  every  day  ;  and  her 
substance  is  in  no  respect  diminished.""^ 

This  was  said  of  the  church  in  Antioch,  and  gives 
us  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  benevolent  work  of 
the  early  Christians,  and  the  various  channels  in 
which  their  charities  flowed  to  the  poor.  The  churcli 
at  Antioch  must  have  been  a  veritable  "  Kaiserswerth  " 
or  "  Mildmay  "  institution,  from  which  issued  many 
streams  of  healing,  support,  and  comfort  for  the  suf- 
fering and  unfortunate. 

It  is  thought  by  some  that  the  deaconess's  institution 
of  modern  times  is  really  a  new  departure,  but  these 
statements  of  Eusebius  and  Clirysostom  would  seem 
to  indicate  otherwise.  AYhen  the  sick,  unfortunate, 
and  needy,  coupled  with  those  who  cared  for  them, 
were  numbered  in  one  city  by  thousands,  there  must 
have  been  a  public  institution  of  no  mean  dimensions, 
and  the  w^ork  done  by  the  Church   in   those  times 

*  Chrysostom,  Horn.  66. 


118       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

stands  well  in  comparison  witli  what  she  now  accoru- 
plislies. 

The  growing  doctrine  of  the  meritoriousness  of  good 
works,  and  the  belief  that  alms-giving  ranked  with 
fasting  and  prayer  as  a  means  of  salvation,  brought 
immense  sums  into  the  treasury  of  the  Church,  and 
hospitals  and  kindred  institutions  arose  as  the  result."^ 

It  will  be  readily  seen  from  this  that  the  deacons 
and  deaconesses  had  a  very  broad  field  for  their  ener- 
gies, and  the  Churcli  was  not  lacking  in  supplies  for 
distribution.  Deacons,  deaconesses,  widows,  and  vir- 
gins were  all  more  or  less  connected  with  the  charita- 
ble institutions  of  the  Church. 

Chevalier  Bnnsen  gives  a  high  estimate  of  the 
office  in  question,  and  attributes  to  it  the  twofold  aim 
of  temporal  and  spiritual  help  : 

"  The  ofiice  of  deacon,  or  helper,  implies,  in  tlie 
full  sense  of  the  word,  the  attendance  on  the  poor  and 
the  sick,  to  offer  spiritual  as  well  as  bodily  aid ;  and, 
indeed,  to  supply  all  common  wants  was  the  individ- 
ual duty  of  every  Christian,  and  this  divine  idea  of 
services  of  charity  had  so  deeply  prevaded  the  mind 
of  the  Church  that  the  office  of  deacon  and  deaconess 
grew  out  of  it.  The  latter  were  ordinarily  widows, 
and  the  sisterhood  of  widows  is  nothing  more  than 
that  of  deaconesses."f 

*  Bennett's  Chr.  Arch.,  p.  499. 

f  Bunsen's  Hippol,  iii,  230.  There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  among 
writers  as  to  the  identity  of  widows  and  deaconesses. 


The  Wokk,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.  119 

Of  all  the  writers  of  the  primitive  Church,  none 
seem  so  interested  in  the  order  of  deaconesses  as  St. 
Chrjsostom.  Ko  less  than  six  appear  by  name  as 
being  on  terms  of  close  Christian  intimacy  with  him, 
some  of  whom  stood  by  him  in  his  sorrows,  when 
persecuted  by  his  enemies,  supported  him  by  their 
wealth,  and  even  shared  his  exile.  Of  one  of  them, 
said  by  some  writers  to  have  l)een  his  aunt,  he 
writes  from  exile  :  ''  There  came  also  my  lady  Sab- 
iniana,  the  deacon,  the  same  day  on  which  we 
came  there  also,  broken  down  indeed  and  worn  out, 
as  being  at  that  age  when  it  is  painful  to  move ; 
youthful,  nevertheless,  in  mind,  and  feeling  nothing 
of  her  sufferings,  since  she  said  she  was  ready  to  go 
forth  even  to  Scythia,  the  rumor  prevailing  that  we 
were  to  be  taken  away  tliither.  And  she  is  ready,  she 
says,  not  to  return  yet  at  all,  but,  wherever  we  may  be, 
there  to  tarry.  She  was  received  by  those  of  the 
Church  with  much  zeal  and  good-will."  * 

Three  letters  were  also  written  to  "  Amprucla  the 
deacon  and  those  with  her  "  on  the  general  subject  of 
consolation  under  religious  persecution.  He  praises 
them  for  their  fidelity,  courage,  and  boldness. 

But  the  most  noted  of  all  the  deaconesses  of  the 
early  Church  was  Olympias,  a  friend  and  admirer  of 
Chrysostom.  ISTot  less  than  eighteen  letters  are  ad- 
dressed by  him  to  "  My  lady  the  Deaconess  {dLaKovog) 
Olympias,  most  worthy  and  beloved  of  God."      She 

*  Chrysostom's  Letter  13  to  Olympias. 


120       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


was  descended  from  a  good  family,  in  early  life 
was  left  an  orphan  and  inherited  large  wealth. 

At  an  early  age  she  was  married,  and  in  less  than 
two  years  was  left  a  widow.  The  Emperor  Theodo- 
sius  desired  to  have  her  marry  one  of  his  own  kin- 
dred, but  her  purpose  was  to  devote  herself  to  the 
Church,  seeking  for  that  reward  which  is  gained  by 
an  ascetic  life.  She  is  described  by  Sozomen  (Book 
viii,  c.  ix)  as  having  been,  although  a  young  widow, 
ordained  by  JS^ectarius  a  deacon.  Possessing  great 
wealth,  she  was  prodigal  in  her  charities.  Drink- 
ing in  the  spirit  of  her  times,  she  developed  that 
form  of  piety  then  so  prominent,  seen  in  alms- 
giving and  austere  practices.  Chrysostom  reproved 
her  for  her  lavish  and  unw^ise  bestowments,  remind- 
ing her  that,  as  she  had  consecrated  her  wealth  to 
God,  she  was  now  only  a  stewardess  of  what  she  pos- 
sessed. 

When  Chrysostom  was  expelled  from  the  episco- 
pate he  is  represented  as  going  into  the  baptistery  and 
calling  "  Olympias,  who  never  departed  from  the 
Church,  together  with  Pentadia  and  Procla,  the 
deaconesses,"  and  exhorted  them  to  fidelity  to  the 
Church,  and  prayed  them  to  yield  obedience  to 
whomsoever  might  be  his  successor.  She  shared  in 
the  persecution  that  followed  the  good  bishop's  ex- 
pulsion, and  was  actually  arraigned  upon  the  charge 
of  having  set  fire  to  the  Church  of  St.  Sophia.  Her 
answer  to  the  charge  was  a  reference  to  the  piety  of 


The  Work,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.  121 

her  past  life,  and  the  spending  of  lier  vast  fortune 
for  the  renewing  of  God's  temples.  The  charge  was 
dismissed  for  want  of  witnesses  to  sustain  it.  She 
was  then  accused  of  contumacy  in  refusing  the  new 
bishop's  communion,  and  fined  in  a  large  sum,  but 
would  not  yield,  and  eventually  withdrew  from  Con- 
stantinople to  Cyzicum. 

Chrysostom  writes  her  as  follows  : 

"For  who  should  tell  thy  varied,  manifold,  and 
many-sided  endurance,  and  what  speech  should  be 
sufficient  for  us,  what  measure  for  our  liistory,  if  one 
should  enumerate  thy  sufferings  from  thy  earliest  age 
until  now  ;  those  from  members  of  tliy  household, 
those  from  strangers,  those  from  friends,  those  from 
enemies,  those  from  persons  connected  with  tliy  blood, 
those  from  persons  in  nowise  connected  w^ith  thee, 
those  from  men  in  power,  those  from  the  prosperous, 
those  from  the  rulers,  those  from  the  common  peo- 
ple, those  from  men  reckoned  in  tlie  clergy.  .  .  .  But 
if  one  should  turn  also  to  the  other  forms  of  this 
virtue,  and  should  go  through  no  more  tliy  sufferings 
received  from  others,  but  those  which  thou  hast  con- 
trived for  thyself,  what  stone,  what  iron,  what  ada- 
mant shall  he  not  find  conquered  b}^  thee  ?  For 
having  received  a  flesh  so  tender  and  delicate,  and 
nourished  up  in  all  kinds  of  luxury,  thou  bast  so 
conquered  it  by  various  sufferings  that  it  lies  no 
better  than  slain,  and  thou  hast  brought  upon  thyself 
such  a  swarm  of  diseases  as  to  confound  the  physi- 


122       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

clan's  skill  and  the  power  of  medicine,  .  .  .  and  to 
live  in  perpetual  fellowship  with  pain." 

Her  great  liberality  to  various  forms  of  benevolence 
is  thus  alluded  to  : 

''Reflect  how,  from  thy  first  age  until  the  present 
day,  thou  hast  not  ceased  to  feed  Christ  when  a-hun- 
gered,  to  give  him  drink  when  thirsty,  to  clothe  him 
when  naked,  to  take  him  in  when  a  stranger,  to  visit 
him  when  sick,  to  go  unto  him  when  bound.  Coti- 
sider  the  sea  of  thy  charity,  which  thou  hast  opened, 
so  that  by  thy  great  efforts  it  hath  reached  the  very 
ends  of  the  earth.  For  thy  house  was  not  only  open 
to  all  who  came,  but  every-where,  by  land  and  sea, 
many  have  enjoyed  thy  liberality,  through  thy  love 
of  strangers.  ...  Be  proud  (rpvcpa)  and  rejoice  in 
the  hope  of  these  crowns  and  these  rewards." 

This  model  deaconess  of  the  fourth  century  prac- 
ticed austerities  and  the  ascetic  spirit  in  some  of  its 
most  revoltinoj  forms.  And  even  these  were  virtues 
in  the  eyes  of  Chrysostom  : 

"  For  I  do  not  only  marvel  at  the  unspeakable 
coarseness  of  thy  attire,  surpassing  that  of  the  very 
beggars ;  but  above  all,  at  the  shapelessness,  the  care- 
lessness of  thy  garments,  of  thy  shoes,  of  thy  walk ; 
all  which  things  are  virtue's  colors."  * 

Palladius,  a  contemporary,  says  :  ''  She  abstained 
from  animal  food,  and  went  for  the  most  part  un- 
washed." 

*  Clirysostom's  Lelter  to  Olj'rapias. 


The  Wokk,  etc.,  of  Ancient  Deaconesses.  123 

These  quotations  are  sufficient  to  show  that  the 
diaconate  had  declined  from  its  original  purity  and 
position  before  the  end*  of  the  fourth  century,  and 
was  being  buried  beneath  the  false  doctrines  and 
practices  that  arose  in  those  times.  These  arose,  no 
doubt,  from  a  misconception  of  the  truth.  They  were, 
however,  a  protest  against  the  sins  so  prevalent  in 
pagan  life  :  gluttony,  wine-drinking,  unchastity,  os- 
tentatious vanities,  and  turbulent  mirth.  The  Church 
inculcated  the  opposites  of  all  these,  and  the  spirit 
that  led  to  them  was  killed  by  abstinence,  continence, 
humble  dress,  the  disuse  of  ornaments,  silence,  and 
meditation.  In  our  times  this  type  of  piety  produces 
moral  aversion,  because  it  is  often  cruel  and  inhuman. 

As  to  the  character  and  work  of  the  early  deacon- 
ess, enough  has  been  said  to  show  the  wide  extreme 
between  Pliebe,  the  simple  but  useful  deaconess  of 
tlie  church  at  Cenchrea,  and  Olympias,  the  wealthy, 
pious,  but  ascetic  deaconess  of  the  church  of  Con- 
stantinople. 


12J:        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   DECLINE   AND   DISAPPEARANCE   OF  THE    ANCIENT 
ORDER   OP    DEACONESSES. 

The  accounts  given  of  the  ancient  order  of  dea- 
conesses in  the  writings  of  the  early  Church  fathers 
and  historians  are  not  very  full,  and  the  record  is 
often  silent  where  we  would  have  it  speak.  Suffi- 
cient, however,  is  said  of  them,  as  the  preceding 
pages  show,  to  enable  us  to  trace  distinctly  their  work 
and  influence  for  more  than  a  thousand  years.  The 
records  of  the  early  and  mediaeval  Christian  times 
were  not  favorable  to  tiie  preservation  of  minute 
matters  of  history.  The  persecutions  to  which  tliey 
were  subjected  in  the  earlier  centuries,  the  destruc- 
tive wars  tliat  devastated  the  lands  wliere  Christianity 
first  established  itself,  and  the  ignorance  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages,  have  all  contributed  to  destroy  the  records 
and  limit  our  knowledge  of  an  order  that  so  long  ago 
became  extinct  in  the  organized  Church.  We  gather 
as  much  from  their  enemies  as  from  their  friends,  and 
get  glimpses  of  them  from  measures  adopted  for 
their  restriction  as  well  as  for  their  support  and  de- 
velopment. The  following  remarks  are  judicious  and 
pertinent : 

"  Of  what  the  female  diaconate  did.  we  know  little. 


Decline  of  the  Ancient  Order.  125 

But,  knowing  so  little,  it  is  sufficiently  wonderful 
that  w^e  should  find  traces  of  its  existence,  both  in  the 
East  and  West,  for  from  nine  to  twelve  centuries — 
about  two  thirds,  in  fact,  of  the  Christian  era.  This 
strange,  obscure  persistency  indicates  either  that  it 
did  far  more  work  than  is  recorded  of  it,  and  lived 
thereby,  or  that  its  title  to  existence  was  in  itself  so 
unquestionable  that  even  its  own  im potency  barely 
sufficed  to  extinguish  it."  ^ 

We  may  well  inquire  why  or  how  such  an  agency 
for  good  could  perish.  It  was  founded  by  apostolic 
order  or  sanction,  was  reasonable  and  natural,  and 
even  necessary  in  order  to  the  highest  efficiency  of 
the  Christian  Church.  We  must,  therefore,  look  for 
tlie  cause  of  its  decay  and  disappearance  outside  of 
itself.  We  do  not  think  the  cause  is  hard  to  find. 
The  ^vorm  that  pierced  tlie  root  of  this  fair  tree,  capa- 
ble of  producing  so  much  fruit  to  the  glory  of  God, 
was  the  false  ascetic  principle  which  led  to  tlie  prac- 
tice of  religious  celibacy.  This  was  its  bane,  and 
under  its  curse  it  withered  and  died. 

Unbelief  lies  at  the  root  of  all  sin.  This  was  the 
cause  of  the  decline  and  corruption  of  primitive 
Christianity.  Monachism  indicates  the  despair  of 
the  leaders  of  the  Church  as  to  the  power  of  Chris- 
tianity to  lift  up  and  regenerate  the  world.  Hence 
they  sought  solitude,  thinking  to  avoid  the  evils  that 
are  in  the  world  by  fleeing  from  them.     Monachism 

*  Ludlow,  p.  72. 


126        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

and  its  vows  are  a  perversion*  of  nature  and  religion. 
"  I  pray  not  tliat  thou  shoiildest  take  tliem  out  of  the 
world,  but  that  thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the 
evil.  They  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of 
the  world.  Sanctify  them  tlirough  thy  truth:  thy 
word  is  truth.  As  thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world, 
even  so  have  I  also  sent  them  into  the  world." 
John  xvii,  15-18. 

Primitive  Christianity  was  eminently  social  in  its 
character.  It  consecrated  the  family  life  and  devel- 
oped tlie  domestic  virtues.  Under  its  influence  the 
marriage  tie  was  strengthened,  and  declared  to  be 
*' honorable  in  all."  It  purifled  the  home,  destroyed 
concubinage  and  polygamy.  It  constructed  the  fam- 
ily according  to  God's  original  intent — one. husband 
for  one  wife — the  best  institution  to  promote  happi- 
ness and  rear  children  in  the  fear  of  God.  Tliese 
points  were  guarded  by  apostolic  injunction,  and  in 
the  first  centuries  of  the  Christian  Church  woman 
was  regarded  as  a  ^'helpmeet  for  man,"  and  in  so  far 
as  the  Spirit  and  teachings  of  Christ  and  his  apostles 
prevailed  she  was  accorded  a  position  of  usefulness 
and  honor,  both  in  the  Church  and  in  the  family. 

The  existence  of  the  female  diaconate  is  proof  of 
this.  Female  deacons  were  not  appointed  in  the 
Cliurch  of  Christ  because  according  to  the  custom  of 
the  times  women  in  general  were  secluded  from  soci- 
ety, but  just  as,  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  woman 
as  well  as  man   has  a  place  in  the  work  of  redemp- 


Decline  of  the  Ancient  Order.  127 

tion  by  Jesus  Christ,  so  should  she  liave  a  place  iu 
the  privileges  and  work  of  the  Church  of  God. 
"  The  scope  of  the  female  diaconate  in  the  primitive 
Church  was,  as  we  have  seen,  to  afford  a  full  devel- 
opment to  female  energies  for  religious  purposes ;  to 
associate  women,  as  far  as  possible,  in  rank  and  prac- 
tice with  men,  while  preserving  to  each  sex  its  dis- 
tinct sphere  of  activit}^,  .  .  .  yet  each  acting  under 
the  inspiration  of  that  Holy  Spirit  who  was  invoked 
alike  over  the  head  of  deacon  and  deaconess  at  their 
ordination.  True  in  this  was  the  Church  to  the  laws 
of  man's  being,  as  displayed  progressively  throughout 
Holy  Scripture,  from  Genesis  to  Revelation.  By  a 
pre-ordained  and  eternal  marriage,  man  and  woman 
must  be  one  in  order  to  fulfill  the  great  destinies  of 
humanity.  Genesis  shows  us  that  it  is  not  good  for 
man  to  be  alone,  but  tliat  woman  is  made  a  helpmeet 
for  him.  The  New  Testament  discovers  to  us  the 
deep  spiritual  ground  of  this  relation  by  showing  us 
Christ  as  the  Holy  Bridegroom  of  his  hallowed  bride, 
the  Church.  History  confirms  the  lesson  from  age  to 
age,  from  country  to  country,  by  showing  how  if  you 
deprive  either  sex  of  its  free  action,  of  its  influence 
over  the  other,  the  result  is  national  sterility,  the 
man  a  savage,  the  woman  a  fool.  Restore  Eastern 
women  to  their  rights  and  the  whole  Eastei-n  world 
will  rise  up  new-born."  ^ 

The  Church  did  not  obtain  the  idea  of  the  greater 

*  Ludlow,  p.  74. 


128       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

sanctity  of  a  life  of  celibacy  from  the  teachings  of 
our  Lord  or  the  apostles.  In  some  instances,  no 
doubt,  passages  in  St.  Paul's  writings  in  which,  for 
special  reasons,  a  single  life  is  recommended,  were 
wrested  from  their  original  meaning  and  made  to 
teach  what  was  foreign  to  the  intent  of  the  apostle, 
but  by  no  fair  interpretation  can  they  be  made  to  ap- 
prove celibacy  for  men  or  women  consecrated  to  the 
service  of  God.  For  the  first  three  centuries  of  the 
Christian  era  there  was  no  enforced  celibacy  known 
in  the  Church  of  Chribt."^  Marriage  was  regarded  as 
enjoined  on  bishops,  elders,  and  deacons  by  the  coun- 
sel of  St.  Paul.  The  inscriptions  in  the  catacombs  of 
Eome  bear  testimony  to  the  marriage  of  all  orders  of 
the  clergy.  Bisliops,  elders,  and  deacons  mourn  for 
departed  wives  and  children.  •'  VICTOR  IN  PACE 
FILIVS  EPISCOPI  YICTOPJS  CIVITATIS 
VCRENSIVM— 'Victor,  in  peace,  son  of  Bishop 
Victor,  of  the  city  of  the  Ucrenses.'  Gandentius  the 
presbyter,  for  liiniself  and  his  wife  Severa,  a  chaste 
and  most  holy  woman.  Observe  also  the  tender  rec- 
ognirion  of  family  ties  in  the  following  :  '  Once  the 
happy  daughter  of  the  presbyter  Gabinus,  here  lies 
Susanna,  joined  to  her  father  in  peace.'  "  f  These 
were  the  centuries  when  deaconesses  were  held  in 
high  esteem  ;  when  the  first  six  books  of  the  Apos- 
tolical Constitutions  were  written,  enjoining  that  the 
deaconess  should  be  "  honored,"  and  have  a  place  in 
*  Bingham,  Christ  Ant.  f  Withrow,  Catacombs,  p.  525, 


Decline  of  the  Ancient  Oedee.  129 

the  Clmrch,  and  serve  the  women  as  the  deacon 
served  the  men,  and  should  be  ordained  in  a  solemn 
manner  by  the  imposition  of  hands.  In  the  fourth 
century  the  Church  adopted  the  doctrine  of  devils 
spoken  of  by  St.  Paul  as  "forbidding  to  marry." 

The  earliest  ecclesiastical  legislation  on  the  subject 
was  at  the  Spanish  Council  of  Elvira,  A.  D.  305, 
which  commanded  ecclesiastics  who  were  married  to 
separate  from  their  wives — abstlnere  se  a  conjugihus 
suis — thus  ruthlessly  putting  asunder  those  whom 
God  had  joined.  The  Synod  of  Ancyra,  held  ten 
years  later,  reversed  this  decree,  and  the  sixth  apos- 
tolic canon  says,  "  Let  not  a  bisliop,  a  j)riest,  or  a  dea- 
con cast  off  his  own  wife  under  pretense  of  piety ; 
but  if  he  does  cast  her  off  let  him  be  suspended.  If 
he  go  on  in  it,  let  him  be  deprived." 

We  can  trace  the  conflict  of  opinions  in  the  writ- 
ings of  the  fathers  and  the  enactments  of  the  coun- 
cils. Not  all  at  once  did  this  pernicious  ascetic  prin- 
ciple prevail,  but  it  steadily  gained  in  prevalence  and 
power.  Thus  the  Council  of  Neo-Cesarea,  held  im- 
mediately after  that  of  Ancyra,  enjoined  in  its  first 
canon  "  the  degradation  of  priests  who  marry  after 
ordination"  (A.  D.  314).  So  tlie  great  Council  of 
Nice  (x\.  D.  325)  proposed  a  canon  "enjoining  conti- 
nence upon  the  married  clergy  ; "  but  the  aged  Bishop 
Paphnutius  warmly  opposed  the  imposition  of  such  a 
yoke,  and  prevailed,  so  that  the  proposal  fell  to  the 
ground.     "  Marriage  is  the  true  chastity,"  exclaimed 


130       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

the  good  old  bishop,  and  in  this  single  sentence  uttered 
a  living  truth,  which,  received  and  held,  would  have 
prevented  a  vast  amount  of  sin  and  contributed  to  tlie 
purity  and  prosperity  of  the  Church  through  all  the 
ages.  As  time  advanced,  marriage  among  "  religious 
persons,"  or  those  specially  designated  to  any  position 
in  the  Church,  was  more  and  more  held  in  disrepute, 
until  many  of  the  Church  fathers  and  the  higher 
clergy  regarded  it  as  a  necessary  evil,  only  to  be  toler- 
ated for  the  perpetuation  of  the  race  and  on  account 
of  the  infirmity  of  the  weak. 

When  these  sentiments  prevailed  it  was  impossible 
to  maintain  the  order  of  deaconess.  The  presence  of 
the  deaconess  as  an  officer  in  the  Church  could  not  be 
tolerated.  The  opinions  of  the  fathers  conflicted  with 
tlie  ordinance  of  God,  and  they  had  found  that  it  was 
good  for  man  to  be  alone,  although  God  had  declared  it 
otherwise.  When  the  thought  was  entertained  and 
fully  believed  that  superior  sanctity  belonged  to  a  single 
life,  and  marriage  was  regarded  as  a  fleshly  pollution, 
it  would  naturally  follow  that  all  aspirants  to  a  holy 
life  must  take  upon  themselves  vows  of  celibacy. 
The  sequence  must  be  the  separation  of  the  sexes  in 
monastic  institutions.  This  soon  prevailed  in  the 
Church.  In  A.  D.  535,  by  the  Justinian  code  it  was 
ordained  in  regard  to  the  deaconess,  "If  she  leave 
the  ministry  to  enter  into  marriage,  or  choose  any 
other  mode  of  life,  she  is  subject  to  the  penalty  of 
death,  and  her  property  is  to  be  applied  to  the  use 


Decline  of  the  Ancient  Okdek.  131 

of  the  Church  or  convent  in  which  she  is;  the  same 
penalties  being  incurred  by  her  husband  or  seducer, 
with  the  exception  that  his  property  is  to  be  confis- 
cated for  tlie  benefit  of  the  State."  ^ 

Entire  freedom  from  monastic  vows  is  a  condition 
of  tlie  greatest  efficiency  and  purity  for  both  men 
and  women,  and  where  these  vows  exist  tlie  familiar 
mingling  of  the  sexes  in  the  ministrations  of  relig- 
ion and  Christian  activities  is  well-nigh  impossible. 
"  The  deaconess  should  be  as  free  as  tlie  deacon  him- 
self to  leave  her  home  at  any  time  for  those  minis- 
trations; she  should  be  in  constant  communication 
\vith  her  brethren  of  the  clergy.  But  place  her  un- 
der a  vow  of  celibacy,  she  dare  no  longer  foi'get  her- 
self in  the  abundance  of  her  zeal ;  her  seeming  self- 
sacrifice  is  really  an  enthronement  of  self;  her  piety 
has  a  personal  object,  most  contrary  to  active  char- 
ity ;  every  fellow-man  becomes  to  her  a  tempter 
whom  she  must  flee  from ;  an  enemy  when  near ;  if 
a  brother  at  all,  a  brother  only  when  afar  off,  to  be 
loved  when  present  only  when  most  unlovely  or 
least  lawful  to  be  loved,  in  age  or  loathsome  sick- 
ness, or  when  morally  cut  off  from  her  by  a  like 
vow  with  her  own ;  by  special  permission,  under  jeal- 
ous restrictions,  beneath  the  Damoclean  sword  of  tre- 
mendous penalties ;  but  above  all,  to  be  loved  when 
absent,  impersonally,  in  the  abstract,  with  that  vague 
humanitarian  love  so  characteristic  at  once  of  effete 
*  Ludlow,  p.  56. 


132       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


piety  and  effete  irreligion.  Hence  tlie  high  walls  of 
the  nunnery  in  which,  eventually,  we  find  the  dea- 
coness confined  ;  hence  the  vanishing  away  of  her 
ofiice  itself  into  monachism."  ^ 

When  once  the  deaconess  is  relegated  to  the  inte- 
rior of  a  nunnery  her  proper  work  must  cease — the 
two  are  incompatible.  Her  name  implies  helpful 
service  ;  not  a  service  constrained  by  monastic  vows 
and  terrible  penalties.  The  Greek  Sidicovog  has  in- 
volved in  it  no  idea  of  slavish  servility,  but  rather 
refers  to  an  activity  allied  with  regard  and  desire. 
''  The  true  and  honorable  idea  "  f  wdiich  it  originally 
implied  has  never  been  lost. 

The  disappearance  of  the  order  was  very  gradual,  as 
we  find  allusions  to  them  at  long  intervals  of  time. 
Dean  Howson  thinks  that  their  decline  arose  from 
several  causes ;  namely,  the  general  prevalence  of  in- 
fant baptism,  by  which  one  of  their  functions  disap- 
peared, sprinkling  instead  of  immersion,  the  predomi- 
nance and  ambition  of  the  clergy,  tlie  superstition 
associated  with  the  idea  of  ordination,  by  which  the 
setting  apart  of  women  to  parallel  oflicial  duties  would 
become  more  and  more  offensive  ;  but  he  thinks  that 
the  chief  stress  is  to  be  laid  on  the  progress  of  con- 
ventual monasticism. 

The  position  of  woman  in  the  early  Church,  as  il- 
histrated  by  the  fact  that  many  of  the  handmaids  of 
the  Lord  "  prophesied,"  which  was  the  same  as  is  now 
*  Ludlow,  p.  74.  f  Buttmann,  Lex.  40. 


Decline  of  the  Ancient  Order.  133 

called  preaching,  and  by  the  position  of  the  deaconess, 
whose  office  ran  parallel  to  that  of  the  deacon,  was 
more  free  and  more  honorable  in  apostolic  times  and 
in  the  tirst  and  second  centuries  than  at  a  later  period. 
When  the  relio-ious  teachimys  of  the  time  bes^an  to 
oppress  men's  consciences  with  burdens  grievous  to 
be  borne — when  human  philosophy  became  mixed 
with  the  principles  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  clergy  be- 
came arrogant  and  ambitious — then  the  operations  of 
the  Spirit  were  restrained,  the  labors  of  woman  were 
discountenanced,  and  her  presence  in  the  Church  as 
a  minister  was  offensive.  At  different  times,  when 
there  has  been  a  revival  of  primitive  religion,  the 
same  phenomena  have  been  seen  as  in  apostolic  times, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  has  been  poured  out  on  women, 
and  they  have  prophesied  to  the  edification  of  the 
Church.  But  as  the  idea  of  clerical  exclusiveness 
has  prevailed  and  prelatical  views  have  been  enter- 
tained, primitive  simplicity  has  been  lost,  and  in  cor- 
responding ratio  the  labors  of  females  Lave  been 
forbidden. 


13i        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DEACONESSES    AXD    SISTERHOODS    FUNDAMENTALLY 
DIFFERENT. 

The  organization  of  the  Christian  Church  in  apos- 
tohc  times  was  simple,  and  such  officers  were  ap- 
pointed as  circumstances  demanded.  There  is  no 
evidence  tliat  Christ  gave  definite  directions  in  regard 
to  this,  but  the  apostles  and  others  were  left  to  act 
according  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times.  We  would, 
therefore,  look  for  that  organization  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  those  officers  that  would  seem  most  natural 
and  best  adapted  to  the  end  sought.  At  a  very  early 
peri?>d  we  find  the  officers  designated  that  have  held 
their  name  and  position  through  all  the  centuries,  and 
continue  to  be  known  as  deacons  and  presbyters. 
Acts  vi  contains  the  account  of  the  election  and  ordi- 
nation of  deacons.  In  Acts  xi  we  read  of  the  elders 
of  the  church  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  Acts  xiv,  23,  we 
read  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  appointing  "  elders  in 
every  church." 

The  appointment  of  deacons  was  a  very  natural  and 
reasonable  transaction,  that  class  of  officers  being 
called  for  by  the  development  of  the  work,  to  relieve 
the  apostles  of  some  of  the  burdens  that  had  fallen 
upon  them,  so  that  they  could  more  continually  give 


Sisterhoods  Fundamentally  Different.    135 

themselves  "  to  prayer  and  to  the  ministry  of  the 
word."  In  the  same  way  and  for  the  same  reasons 
the  female  deacons  would  be  likely  to  arise,  and  their 
appointment  would  be  one  of  the  most  natural  things 
that  could  occur,  growing  out  of  the  teacliings  of 
Christianity,  which  is  the  very  spirit  of  benevolence 
and  love  toward  the  sick,  unfortunate,  and  destitute 
poor. 

The  Gospel  was  designed  to  bring  comfort  to  the 
disconsolate,  healing  to  the  afflicted,  the  light  of 
knowledge  and  truth  to  the  ignorant,  and  the  glad 
tidings  of  salvation  to  all.  The  followers  of  Christ 
were  surrounded  by  all  classes  of  suffering  and  desti- 
tute humanity.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  in  his  disciples 
would  prompt  them  to  go  out  after  these  and  admin- 
nister  to  their  wants,  and  especially  to  care  for 
those  ^'  who  are  of  the  household  of  faith."  '•  Dis- 
tributing to  the  necessity  of  saints ;  given  to  hos- 
pitality. Bless  them  which  persecute  you :  bless, 
and  curse  not.  Rejoice  with  them  that  do  rejoice, 
and  weep  with  them  that  weep."  Rom.  xii,  13-15. 
These  teachings  of  Christ  and  his  holy  apostles 
breathed  the  spirit  of  hospitality  and  benevolence  to- 
ward friend  and  foe,  and  would  be  carried  out  by  the 
best  instrumentalities  at  hand. 

It  lias  been  shown  that  the  customs  of  the  as^e  in 
which  Christianity  arose  and  the  countries  in  which 
it  was  first  promulgated  made  female  agency  not  only 
desirable,  but  absolutely  necessary  to  the  spread  of  the 


136        Deacoxesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Gospel  among  women.  In  the  very  nature  of  the  case 
women  must  be  employed  in  its  holy  ministries.  Tiie 
service  of  woman  not  being  forbidden  by  Christ  or 
his  apostles,  and  nature  and  circumstances  calling  for 
her  Christian  activities,  what  could  be  more  consistent 
than  that  there  should  be  an  order  of  deaconesses  ? 

The  particular  circumstances  that  called  for  their 
appointment  are  not  recorded  in  the  Holy  Scripture, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  seven  deacons,  yet  we  know  they 
existed  under  apostolic  sanction  and  were  closely  iden- 
tified with  the  apostles  in  their  labors. 

Their  w^ork  would  be  very  simple.  To  instruct  the 
ignorant,  relieve  the  suffering,  feed  the  hungry,  bear- 
ino^  to  them  the  alms  of  the  Church.  To  rescue  the 
degraded,  and  care  for  the  dying  ;  to  do  that  for  which 
God  had  specially  endowed  them,  and  for  their  own  sex 
that  which  man  could  not  do. 

The  first  deaconesses  were  essentially  parochial, 
attached  to  a  particular  church,  like  the  other  orders 
of  the  clergy.  "  Phebe  our  sister  "  was  (Sidfcovov)  "  a 
servant  of  the  Church  which  is  at  Cenchrea."  In  this 
respect  she  was  like  the  deacon  or  presbyter.  Deacon- 
esses did  not  live  in  communities  isolated  from  the 
world,  but  moved  in  an  active  sphere,  and  served  the 
Clmrch  in  instruction  and  general  helpfulness. 

They  were  chosen  from  among  those  wdio  had 
shown  themselves  faithful  and  worthy,  who  answered 
to  the  requirements  of  the  apostle  :  "  Grave,  not  slan- 
derers, sober,  faithful  in  all  things."     It  is  probable 


Sisterhoods  Fundamentally  Different.     137 

that  women  of  soinewliat  adv^anced  years  were  usually 
cliosen,  yet  it  is  certain  that  young  unmarried  women 
were  sometimes  appointed.  Piety,  discretion,  and 
experience  were,  in  any  case,  the  indispensable  pre- 
requisites, and  only  those  who  liad  shown  themselves 
faithful  in  previous  trials  were  admitted.^  In  apos- 
tolic times  some  were  married,  some  were  not ;  show- 
ing that  this  was  not  an  essential  feature.  They  were 
w^omen  approved  of  God  and  the  Church,  and  were 
solemnly  set  apart  by  the  imposition  of  hands  for  the 
service  in  the  sanctuary  and  among  those  who  needed 
their  ministrations.  Had  the  Church  retained  the 
simplicity  of  the  Gospel,  tlie  order  of  deaconesses, 
pious,  active,  and  free,  would  have  been  retained,  and 
sisterhoods  bound  by  burdensome  and  unnatural  vows 
would  have  been  unknown. 

But  men  have  surrounded  the  work  of  woman  in 
the  Church  with  difficulty  and  suspicion.  Her  loving 
heart  has  struggled  on  against  great  odds.  The  strug- 
gle began  at  an  early  period,  as  sacerdotalism  gained 
the  ascendency,  and  her  privileges  as  a  minister  of 
Christ  began  to  be  restricted.  Then  under  tlie  direc- 
tion of  the  higher  orders  of  the  clergy  slie  sought  in 
vain  in  the  nunnery  the  satisfaction  and  joy  which 
she  would  have  found  in  free  religious  activity  in  the 
world,  guided  and  encouraged  by  the  Church  of  God. 
Let  us  glance  for  a  moment  at  the  origin  of  sister- 
hoods. 

*  Bennett,  Christ.  Arch.,  p.  368. 


138       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


The  office  and  work  of  the  deaconess  are  reasonable 
and  natural.  Sisterlioods  in  their  conventual  form, 
with  tlie  religious  vows  of  "  poverty,  chastity,  and  obe- 
dience," are  not  reasonable  or  consistent,  but  are  con- 
trary to  the  highest  natural  instincts  and  dictates  of 
reason.  They  are  not  demanded  by  the  exigency  of 
the  times  or  the  needs  of  the  Church,  and  are  in  con- 
travention of  the  laws  of  God. 

These  sisterhoods,  or  associations  of  women,  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  and  some  other  Churches,  devoted  to 
the  attainment  of  ascetic  perfection  and  to  works  of 
charity,  and  bound  together  by  religious  vows,  have 
existed  from  early  times,  mention  being  made  of  them 
as  early  as  the  fifth  century.  When  these  began  to 
flourish  the  order  of  deaconesses  began  to  decline. 
They  were  encouraged  and  fostered  by  the  clergy, 
while  deaconesses  were  more  and  more  restricted. 
Sisterhoods  did  not  grow  out  of  the  female  diaconate 
as  much  as  out  of  the  class  known  as  Church  virgins. 
These  were  a  class  of  fem.ales  distinct  from  the  dea- 
coness. They  were  not  ordained  to  any  special  func- 
tions in  the  Church  service.  They  are  spoken  of 
by  St.  Paul.  Some  of  the  early  fathers  class  the 
widow  and  the  virgin  together  as  persons  wdio  have 
duties  to  perform  in  connection  with  the  Church  and 
as  entitled  to  some  support  from  its  revenues,  apply- 
ing to  both  the  words  of  Paul  (1  Tim.  v,  10),  "  to  be 
well  reported  of  for  good  works,"  "  to  lodge  stran- 
gers,"  to   "  wash  the  saints'  feet."     It  was  this  class 


Sisterhoods  Fundamentally  Different.     139 

which  in  process  of  tune  passed  into  theorder  of  nims, 
and  for  a  long  time  the  deaconess  and  the  nan  existed 
side  by  side ;  but  the  nuns  grew  in  number  and  the 
deaconesses  decreased. 

The  derivation  of  the  word  "  nun  "  seems  to  show 
the  relation  between  the  virgin  and  the  nun,  "  Hos- 
pinian  states  it  to  be  an  Egyptian  term  denoting  vir- 
gin. It  is  probably  derived  from  a  Coptic  or  Egyp- 
tian root.  This  much  is  certain,  that  the  term  was 
already  used  in  the  time  of  Jerome."^ 

It  is  not  within  our  scope  to  trace  the  increase  or 
development  of  these  sisterhoods.  They  have  contin- 
ued almost  without  restriction  from  the  fifth  century, 
when  we  find  mention  made  of  them  at  Rome,  Milan, 
and  other  chief  cities  of  the  Roman  Empire,  as  giving 
their  time  and  riches  for  tlie  relief  of  suffering  poor. 
At  a  later  period  sisterhoods  were  formed  which  were 
not  bound  by  vows  of  celibacy ;  they  were  in  all  re- 
spects comparatively  free,  as  tlie  Beguin  Sisterhood. 
They  were  widows  or  unmarried  women  who,  witli- 
Gut  renouncing  the  society  of  men  or  the  business  of 
life,  or  vowing  poverty,  perpetual  chastity,  or  absohite 
obedience,  yet  led,  at  their  own  homes  or  in  common 
dwellings,  a  life  of  prayer,  meditation,  and  labor. 
"  The  sisters  received,  moreover,  young  girls,  chiefly 
orphans,  to  educate,  went  out  to  nurse  and  console  the 
sick,  to  attend  death-beds,  to  wash  and  lay  out  the  dead, 
and  were  called  in  to  pacify  family  disputes.    In  short, 

*  McClintock  and  Strono;,  art.  "Nun." 


140       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

there  is  perhaps  none  of  the  natural  diaconal  func- 
tions of  women  whidi  thej  did  not  fulfill"^  But  these 
and  all  kindred  sisterhoods  who  retained  freedom  of 
action  were  opposed  and  overcome  bj  the  spirit  of 
Romish  monachism  that  prevailed  in  the  Middle  Ages. 
The  more  freedom  they  possessed  the  more  bitter  was 
priestly  opposition. 

In  the  early  ages  the  mode  of  consecration  for 
canonical  virgins  was  as  follows :  It  was  usually 
performed  publicly  in  the  church  by  the  bishop  or 
presbyter.  When  a  virgin  had  signified  to  the 
bishop  her  desire  for  the  usual  consecration,  she 
made  a  j)nblic  profession  of  her  resolution  in  the 
church,  and  the  bishop  put  upon  her  the  accus- 
tomed habit  of  sacred  virsrins.  This  chans^e  of 
habit  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the  ancient  coun- 
cils, but  in  what  it  consisted  is  not  plain.  "  A  veil 
and  a  purple  and  gold  miter  are  spoken  of;  but  it 
is  said  that  they  did  not  use  them  for  any  sacra- 
ment or  mystery,  but  only  as  a  badge  of  distinc- 
tion, and  to  signify  to  whose  service  they  be- 
longed." t 

Out  of  this  has  grown  the  whole  system  of  sister- 
hoods, and  all  the  unscriptural  ceremonies  and  doc- 
trines involved  in  them.  The  modern  practice  of 
the  consecration  of  nuns,  the  vows  they  take,  and 
the  whole  spirit  that  prompts  tliem  are  contrary  to 
the  spirit  of  the  Gospel.     Not  that  we  would  ques- 

*  Ludlow,  p.  118.         f  McClintock  and  Strong,  art.  "Nun." 


Sisterhoods  Fundamentally  Different.     141 

tion  the  sinceritj^  pietj,  or  usefulness  of  many  of 
them,  but  they  are  misguided ;  and  their  piety  and 
zeal  are  developed  in  a  channel  that  does  not  yield 
the  richest  harvest  of  good  to  the  world. 

There  is  a  striking  contrast  between  the  selection 
and  appointment  of  the  deaconess  and  the  sister  or 
nun.  The  deaconess  is  a  woman  of  mature  age, 
liaving  a  conscious  religious  experience,  has  shown 
herself  faithful  in  all  things,  feels  called  of  God  to 
the  special  work,  and  is  selected  by  the  Church  and 
untrammeled  by  vows,  believing  that  she  is  serving 
Christ  in  the  poorest  of  his  people.  The  following 
is  a  statement  of  good  authority  in  regard  to 
the  nun  : 

''  Dr.  De  Sanctis,  who  for  many  years  occupied  a 
liigli  official  position  at  Rome,  describes  three  classes 
who  take  the  veil:  1.  Young  girls  who  become 
interested  in  religion,  and,  blindly  following  the 
path  of  piety,  believe  the  priest's  declamations 
against  conjugal  love  and  domestic  affection  as 
unholy,  and  tending  to  eradicate  the  love  of  Christ. 
2.  Those  who,  failing  to  captivate  the  regard  of 
men,  are  yet  conscious  of  an  irresistible  need  of 
loving  some  object,  and  therefore  seek  to  be  loved, 
as  they  say,  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  repre- 
sented as  a  young  man  of  marvelous  beauty  and  most 
winning  look,  with  a  heart  shining  with  love,  and 
seen  transparent  in  his  breast.'    3.  Those  who,  being 

educated   from   childhood   in   the  nunnery,   remain 
10 


142        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

there  and  become  nuns  without  knowing  wliy,  and 
give  np  with  alacrity  a  world  which  they  have  never 
seen."  * 

We  think  this  w^hole  system  is  destructive  rather 
than  promotive  of  real  piety.  It  is  based  on 
the  false  principle  of  the  meritoriousness  of  good 
works,  and  of  the^superior  sanctity  of  an  unmarried 
life.  It  is  a  vain  endeavor  to  obtain  that  purity 
of  soul  which  can  only  be  obtained  by  faith  in 
the  atonement  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Herein 
is  the  great  difference  between  deaconesses  and  sis- 
terhoods. It  is  fundamental ;  not  so  much  in  the 
work  they  do  as  in  the  motive  that  prompts  them 
and  the  end  they  seek. 

In  tlie  Church  of  England  several  communities  of 
women  devoted  to  works  of  charity  have  been  organ- 
ized in  recent  times.  For  the  most  part  they  grew 
out  of  the  Tractarian  movement  led  by  Dr.  E.  B. 
Pusey,  Dr.  Newman,  and  other  eminent  Anglican 
divines,  some  of  whom  became  perverts  to  the 
Church  of  Rome.  In  these  Protestants  sisterhoods 
some  of  the  extravagances  of  the  Ponian  ritual  and 
doctrines  are  discarded,  but  the  principles  that  govern 
them  are  much  the  same  —  an  exalted  opinion  of 
the  merit  of  good  works  and  their  subjective  influ- 
ence on  the  soul  of  the  person  who  performs  them. 

The  work  of  the  deaconess  is  objective  rather  than 
subjective.  It  is  a  work  for  Christ  in  obedience  to 
*  Romanism  as  It  Is,  p.  336. 


Sisterhoods  Fundamentally  Different.     143 

his  command ;  the  outflow  of  the  benevolence  which 
he  has  implanted  within.  An  inquiry  made  of  one 
of  the  clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England  in  re- 
gard to  tlie  case  in  point  elicited  the  following  reply : 
"  As  to  the  sisterhoods  founded  by  Dr.  Pusey,  and 
the  many  other  sisterhoods  in  the  English  Church, 
they  differ  very  materially  from  the  deaconesses; 
they  are  based  upon  the  three  '  vows  of  religion,' 
poverty,  chastity,  and  obedience.  The  different  or- 
ders differ  in  detail  of  rule,  work,  etc.,  but  in  prin- 
ciple they  are  all  at  one.  If  I  might  try  to  express 
the  difference  I  think  I  should  say  that  whereas  in 
the  case  of  deaconesses  (that  is,  the  modern  type  of 
them  derived  from  Kaiserswerth)  the  life  is  adopted 
as  a  means  to  an  end — that  is,  as  the  best  way  of 
carrying  out  the  work —  in  the  case  of  sisterhoods 
this  is  reversed,  and  the  work  becomes  the  means, 
according  to  the  different  vocations,  of  working  out 
the  self-dedication  of  the  vow.  People  may  have 
different  opinions  as  to  which  is  best ;  I  merely  wish 
to  point  out  that  they  are  two  widely  different 
things."  * 

Canon  Sumner  says  :  "  It  is  surely  a  great  mistake 
to  suppose  that  nuns  and  deaconesses  are  synony- 
mous terms.  Convents  are  ostensibly  houses  for 
the  sheltering  of  those  who  think  that  they  can  serve 
God  better  by  retiring  from  the  world  for  purposes 
of   meditation    and   prayer.      Deaconess   institutions 

*  Rev.  H.  P.  Denison,  Church  of  England. 


14-i       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


are  for  those  women  wlio  desire  in  a  stated,  formal, 
and  authorized  manner  to  be  set  apart  for  active 
work  in  the  Church  of  God.  The  two  are  wide  as 
the  poles  apart,  and  I  would  earnestly  deprecate  any 
op430sition  to  the  work  of  deaconesses  from  dread 
of  the  gradual  introduction  of  the  conventual  sys- 
tem." * 

These  vows  of  "  poverty,  chastity,  and  obedience," 
deprive  the  soul  of  the  highest  and  purest  motive 
that  leads  to  works  of  piety  and  benevolence,  which 
is  obedience  to  tlie  commands  of  Christ  for  the 
love  we  bear  to  him  as  our  Redeemer  and  Saviour. 
They  assume  that  obedience  is  hard,  and  that  tliese 
austerities  must  be  practiced  as  the  athlete  practices 
abstemiousness  and  gymnastics  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  severe  contest  that  lies  before  him.  This 
is  a  misconception  of  the  truth.  This  highest  mo- 
tive the  deaconess  has.  She  is  placed  under  no  vow, 
is  free  to  act  under  the  impulses  of  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  who  reigns  in  tlie  heart.  "No  vows,  no  pov- 
erty, no  monastic  obedience,"  says  the  founder  of 
the  Paris  Deaconess  Institute.  "We  took  as  the 
ground  of  our  efforts  not  the  pretense  of  salvation 
by  works,  but  the  duty  of  witnessing  by  works  our 
love  to  Him  who  came  down  from  heaven  to  save 
us."  Thus  Christ  is  honored,  the  holy  life  is  the 
fruit  of  a  living  faith  in  him,  and  the  works  of 
piety  and  benevolence  are  the  gracious  outflow  of  a 
*  Deaconesses  in  Church  of  England^  p.  32. 


Sisterhoods  Fundamentally  Different.     145 

consecrated,  holy  heart,  not  the  hard  task  per- 
formed in  fulfillment  of  a  self-imposed  vow.  The 
thoughtful  reader  will  see  that  deaconess  institutions 
base  on  these  principles  are  apostolic  and  Protestant. 

The  Protestant  sisterhoods  are  regarded  by  many 
as  having  a  dangerous  leaning  towards  Romanism. 
The  origin  of  those  in  the  English  Clmrch  would 
suggest  this  thought.  They  were  founded  for  the 
most  part,  if  not  entirely,  by  the  High  Church 
ritualists.  The  devotions  prescribed  for  them  will 
indicate  the  ritualistic  tendency  of  the  order  and 
the  ground  of  danger  alluded  to  by  Dean  Ilowson 
in  the  following  quotation  : 

''  It  is  only  when  there  is  some  impenetrable 
mystery  in  a  sisterhood  that  we  are  inclined  to  be- 
come indignant.  Wherever  there  is  mystery  tliere 
is  suspicion,  and  to  excite  even  causeless  suspicion 
in  controversial  times  is  inexcusable.  Moreover,  if 
sisterhoods  have  their  good  p'omrs,  they  certainly 
have  their  dangers.  The  esprit  de  corps^  unless  it 
is  diluted  with  widely  diffused  work,  may  consoli- 
date itself  into  conventual  stiffness.  Even  religious 
ritual  may  become  too  exclusively  absorbing.  The 
relation  of  the  sisters  to  the  chaplain  must  be  a 
matter  of  the  most  critical  importance  in  regard  to 
the  formation  of  religious  faith  and  character.  Su- 
perstitious notions  regarding  celibacy  may  grow  up 
even  where  there  is  an  express  clause  in  a  statute 
announcing  that  retirement   at  any  moment    is  op- 


146        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modekn. 

tional.  Definitions  will  not  keep  every  thing  safe. 
Questionable  sentiments  may  become  prevalent  in  a 
commnnity  in  spite  of  rules,  and  when  this  is  the 
case  questionable  doctrine  may  insensibly  associate 
itself  with  practices  which  in  themselves  are  quite 
innocent."  * 

Sisterhoods  in  England  are  convents  of  the 
English  Church,  slightly  modified  nunneries.  They 
are  organized  primarily  for  the  purpose  of  forming 
a  religious  community  wdiere  women  may  find  a  re- 
treat from  the  world  and  spend  much  time  in  re- 
ligious meditation  and  prayer;  while  a  deaconess 
institution  is  a  training  place  for  work  in  tlie  out- 
side world,  wdiere  human  suffering  may  call  for  her 
services.  "  The  sister  is  of  the  sisterhood,  the  dea- 
coness is  of  tlie  Church." 

Tlie  difference  between  the  sisterhoods  and  deacon- 
esses in  some  of  its  aspects  may  tlius  be  summarized. 
The  deaconess  of  early  times  had  an  official  position 
in  the  Church  to  whicli  she  was  ordained  by  the 
imposition  of  hands,  and  was  thus  admitted  to  the 
ranks  of  the  clergy.  The  sister  formed  no  part  of 
the  clergy,  received  no  imposition  of  hands,  took  no 
part  in  baptism.  The  virgin,  though  special  services 
w^ere  held  when  she  received  the  "  habit,"  was  not  or- 
dained. The  Apostolical  Constitutions  says :  "  A  vir- 
gin is  not  ordained,  for  we  have  no  such  command 
from  the  Lord;  for  this  is  a  state  of  voluntary  trial, 

*Howsou,  p.  139. 


SiSTEEHOODS    FUNDAMENTALLY    DIFFERENT.      14:7 

Tint  for  the  reproach  of  marriage,  but  on  account  of 
leisure  for  piety."  * 

Tlie  deaconess  of  the  early  Church  was  not  bound 
by  vows ;  only  when  it  w\as  declining,  and  being,  by 
constraint,  merged  into  the  sisterhood,  were  vows  re- 
quired. At  first  deaconesses  w^ere  either  married  or 
single ;  at  a  later  period  the  Church  required  that 
they  should  be  virgins  or  widows.  As  the  idea 
of  monachism  prevailed,  the  vow  of  perpetual  ceh- 
bacy  was  required,  and  at  length,  in  its  decline, 
death  to  both  parties  was  the  penalty  of  its  violation. 
Modern  deaconesses  have  no  vows,  in  the  monastic 
sense. 

The  sisterhoods  of  the  Komish  Cnurch  are  bound 
by  strong  vows ;  and  fearful  anathemas  are  pro- 
nounced against  any  person  who  shall  tempt  the  nuns 
to  break  them.  "  But  if  any  one  shall  have  dared  to 
attempt  this,  let  him  be  cursed  in  his  house  and  out 
of  his  house,  cursed  in  the  city  and  in  the  country, 
cursed  in  watching  and  sleeping,  cursed  in  eating  and 
drinking,  cursed  in  walking  and  sitting;  cursed,  be 
his  flesh  and  bones ;  from  the  sole  of  his  foot  to  the 
top  of  his  head  let  him  have  no  soundness,"  f  etc. 
Some  of  the  sisterhoods  of  the  English  Church  also 
take  the  three  "  religious  vows." 

The  deaconess,  as  the  servant  of  the  Church,  seeks 
by  her  peculiar  vocation  to  witness  her  love  to  Christ 

*  Apostolical  Constitutions^  Book  viii,  c.  xxiv. 
f  Romanism  as  It  Is,  p.  346. 


148       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

bj  acts  of  good-will  to  men,  not  as  self-discipline,  but 
in  the  spirit  of  benevolence,  for  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  good  of  the  race.  Not  from  any  supposed  merit 
in  good  works  or  superior  sanctity  in  a  celibate  life, 
but  because  in  this  form  she  thinks  she  can  best 
honor  God  and  serve  her  generation.  The  chief 
thought  of  the  "  sisters  "  under  vows  is,  the  attainment 
of  perfection  by  w^orking  out  the  self-dedication 
which  by  special  and  solemn  covenant  they  have 
taken  upon  themselves. 

The  following  reasons  against  vows  of  celibacy, 
from  a  high  source,  will  commend  themselves  to  the 
thoughtful : 

"I  should  not  have  felt  at  liberty  to  take  any 
part  in  the  arrangements  of  any  sisterhood  of  which 
vows  of  celibacy  formed  a  part,  because,  first,  I  see 
no  warrant  for  them  in  the  word  of  God,  and  it  would 
seem  to  me  that  .to  encourage  persons  to  make  vows 
for  which  there  is  no  distinct  promise  given  that  they 
should  be  able  to  keep  them  would  be  entangling 
them  in  a  yoke  of  danger ;.  secondly,  because  it  seems 
to  me  that  our  Church  has  certainly  discouraged  such 
vow\s ;  and  thirdly,  because  it  seems  to  me  really  to 
be  of  the  essence  of  such  a  religious  life  that  it  should 
be  continued  not  because  in  a  moment  of  past  fervor 
a  vow  w^as  made,  but  because  by  a  continual  life  of 
love  that  life  is  again  and  again  freely  offered  to 
tliat  service  to  wdiich  it  was  originally  dedicated.  I 
feel,  therefore,  that  I  may  venture  to  say  that,  instead 


Sisterhoods  Fundamentally  Different.    1^9 

of  the  perpetual  vows  representing  the  higlier,  it  is 
the  admission  of  a  lower  standard."  * 

'•  Neither  should  it  be  supposed  that  marriage  is  im- 
possible for  a  deaconess,  if  only  that  marriage  '  is  m 
the  Lord^  and  if  it  should  be  shown  to  be  so  clearlj 
liis  way  for  her  that  in  marrying  she  will  have  the  ap- 
proval of  her  own  conscience ;  ...  in  such  case  the 
deaconess  spirit  will  have  but  a  different  sphere  for  its 
exercise,  for  every  real  deaconess  is  a  deaconess  for 
life."  t 

With  this  love  reio^nins:  in  the  heart  the  deaconess 
has  the  highest  motive  to  prompt  her,  and  tlie  con- 
stant stimulus  of  a  perpetual  sacrifice  of  love  and  life 
to  God,  and,  free  from  vows,  she  serves  him  in  the 
joy  of  perfect  freedom. 

*  Bishop  of  Oxford,  Church  Congress,  1862. 
\  Deaconesses  in  Church  of  England^  p.  40. 


150       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  FEMALE  DIACONATE  AND  THE  ERROR  OF  THE  SPIR- 
ITUAL  MARRIAGE  OF  THE  INDIVIDUAL  WITH  CHRIST. 

A  DANGEROUS  error  has  come  down  to  us  from  early 
times  that  stands  closely  connected  with  the  consecra- 
tion of  woman  to  religious  service.  We  mean  that  of 
the  spiritual  marriage  of  the  individual  with  Christ 
as  seen  in  the  consecration  of  the  nun  ;  and  very 
closely  allied  to  this  is  the  error  of  the  soul's  marriage 
with  God,  which  is  found  in  many  mystical  writers, 
and  is  more  Protestant  than  Roman.  This  could  not 
arise  from  any  intelligent  and  proper  religious  conse- 
cration, but  from  an  ignorant  and  impure  perversion 
of  it.  This  is  believed  by  some  to  be  only  second  in 
unscriptural  falsehood,  in  social  danger,  to  Mariolatry 
itself.  This  error,  like  the  w^hole  system  of  female 
monachism,  grew  out  of  the  consecration  of  the 
Church  virgin  rather  than  out  of  the  ordination  of 
the  deaconess.  But  these  two  are  so  closely  associated 
in  men's  thoughts  that  they  are  likely  to  be  con- 
founded; and  since  it  has  been  suggested  in  connec- 
tion with  modern  deaconesses  we  give  it  a  brief  dis- 
cussion in  these  pages.  From  a  very  early  period 
some  women  professed  virginity,  but  did  not  live  in 


The  Female  Diaconate,  etc.  151 

communities,  neither  were  they  consecrated  bj  any 
service  or  ceremony  in  the  Church.  In  the  third  cent- 
ury the  Church  gave  direct  sanction  to  the  vow  of 
virginity,  and  made  regulations  for  the  conduct  of 
those  who  liad  taken  it.  It  was  during  the  same  cent- 
ury tliat  celibates  began  to  live  in  communities,  and 
from  that  time  onward  various  orders  that  sprang 
from  them  have  been  in  existence. 

In  process  of  time  the  Church  adopted  a  ritual  for 
the  public  consecration  of  the  virgin,  at  first  very 
simple,  but  later,  and  at  present  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  very  complicated  and  grand.  The 
thought  of  marriage  with  Christ  finds  no  support  in 
Scripture  only  as  the  whole  Church  is  the  bride  and 
Christ  the  Bridegroom.  "  The  New  Testament 
knows  of  but  one  bride — the  Church  ;  of  but  one 
marriage  to  the  Bridegroom — the  wedding  of  the 
Lamb,  in  respect  of  which  every  individual  member 
of  the  Church,  considered  apart  from  the  body  to 
which  he  belongs,  is  but  one  of  those  '  friends  of  the 
Bridegroom'  (John  iii,  29)  —  those  children  of  the 
bridechamber  (Matt,  ix,  15 ;  Luke  v,  34) — who  stand 
by  and  hear,  and  rejoice  to  hear,  the  Bridegroom's 
A^oice,  who  have  a  right,  with  St.  Paul,  to  be  jealous 
over  the  bride  '  with  a  godly  jealousy,'  knowing  that 
she  is  espoused  as  a  chaste  virgin  to  Clirist  (2  Cor. 
xi,  2) ;  or,  in  a  lower  type,  one  of  those  guests  of  the 
wedding  (Matt,  xxii)  gathered  in  from  the  highways 
and  byways,  and  who  may  be  cast  out  for  want  of  a 


152        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


wedding  garment ;  one  of  those  virgins  (Matt,  xxv), 
wise  or  foolisli,  who  have  to  await  tlie  Bridegroom's 
cominof.  When  once  we  feel  tliat  Clirist  beloni^^s 
really  to  his  Church,  and  to  his  Church  only,  we  feel 
also  as  a  usurpation,  as  a  robbery,  no  less  than  as  an 
impossible  absurdity,  the  craving  to  have  him  each 
for  ourself  alone."  ^  Paul  said  to  the  Corinthians, 
''  I  am  jealous  over  you  with  a  godly  jealousy  :  for  I 
have  espoused  you  to  one  husband,  that  I  may  pre- 
sent you  as  a  chaste  virgin  to  Christ."  2  Cor.  xi,  2. 
He  was  here  addressing  the  Corinthian  Church  col- 
lectively, using  the  marriage  relation  as  a  symbol  of 
the  sacred  bond  that  exists  between  Christ  and  his 
Church.  The  Church  is  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife. 
So  Horn,  vii,  4 :  "  Ye  also  are  become  dead  to  the 
law  by  the  body  of  Christ,  that  ye  should  be  married 
to  another."  In  this  passage  the  word  married  has 
been  changed  by  the  revisers  to  joined.  Here  the 
Church  at  E-ome  collectively  is  addressed,  and,  by 
parity  of  reasoning,  the  universal  Church.  There  is 
not  the  remotest  hint  that  the  individual  soul  can 
stand  in  such  a  relation  to  Christ  as  is  implied  in  the 
fiofure  of  marriao^e. 

It  is  the  Church  that  is  the  Lamb's  bride,  and  we 
as  members  of  the  visible  body  of  Christ  on  earth  are 
united  to  him.  "  For  as  we  have  many  members  in 
one  body,  and  all  members  have  not  the  same  office : 
60  we,  hemg  many,  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  every 

*  Ludlow,  p.  80. 


The  Female  Diaconate,  etc.  153 

one  members  one  of  another."  Rom.  xii,  4.  The 
tlionglit  of  the  marriage  of  the  individual  with 
Christ  has  a  tendency  to  cut  off  the  soul  from  sym- 
pathy with  and  interest  in  the  universal  Church.  It 
lifts  tlie  woman  above  her  kind,  and  puts  her  in  such 
a  relation  to  Christ,  in  her  own  thought,  as  must 
conduce  to  spiritual  pride  and  produce  thoughts  and 
aspirations  most  inimical  to  purity  and  spiritual  com- 
munion with  God. 

The  writings  of  the  Church  fathers  abound  in 
eulogies  of  a  life  of  virginity,  and  often  speak  of  the 
virgin  as  espoused  to  Clirist.  So  Methodius  :  "  For 
he  may  fitly  be  called  the  side  of  the  Word,  even  the 
sevenfold  Spirit  of  trutli,  according  to  the  prophet ; 
of  whom  God  taking,  in  the  trance  of  Christ — tliat 
is,  after  his  incarnation  and  passion — prepares  a  heljD- 
meet  for  him.  I  mean  the  souls  which  are  betrothed 
and  given  in  marriage  to  him.  .  .  .  For  those  who 
are  the  better,  and  who  embrace  the  truth  more 
clearlv,  beino^  delivered  from  the  evils  of  the  flesh, 
become,  on  account  of  their  perfect  purification  and 
faith,  a  Church  and  helpmeet  of  Christ,  betrothed 
and  given  in  marriage  to  him  as  a  virgin,  according 
to  the  apostle,  so  that  receiving  the  pure  and  genuine 
seed  of  this  doctrine,  they  may  co-operate  with  hinj, 
helj:>ing  in  preaching  for  the  salvation  of  others."  ^ 
So  these  virgins,  by  their  peculiar  sanctity  and  their 
"  espousals  to  Christ,"   become   a  Church  within  a 

*  Banquet  of  Ttn  Virgins^  Dis.  iii,  c.  viii. 


154       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

ClmrcL,  and  have  peculiar  privileges  accorJed  them 
on  ear  til  and  in  heaven. 

"  JSTow  it  is  not  that  the  wing  of  virginity  should, 
by  its  own  nature,  be  weighted  down  upon  the  earth, 
but  that  it  should  soar  upward  to  heaven  to  a  pure 
atmosphere,  and  to  the  life  which  is  akin  to  that  of 
angels.  Whence  also  they,  first  of  all,  after  their 
call  and  departure  hence,  who  have  rightly  and  faith- 
fully contended  as  virgins  for  Christ,  bear  away  the 
prize  of  victory,  being  crowned  by  him  w^ith  the 
flowers  of  immortality.  For,  as  soon  as  their  souls 
have  left  the  world,  it  is  said  that  the  angels  meet 
them  with  much  rejoicing,  and  conduct  them  to  the 
very  pastures  already  spoken  of,  to  which  also  they 
were  longing  to  come,  contemplating  them  in  imag- 
ination from  afar,  when,  wdiile  they  were  yet  dwelling 
in  their  bodies,  they  appeared  to  them  divine."  * 

At  the  close  of  his  work  Methodius  puts  into  the 
mouth  of  Thekla,  the  chief  virgin,  these  words : 
"  Leaving  marriage  and  the  beds  of  mortals  and  my 
golden  home  for  thee,  O  King,  I  have  come  in  unde- 
filed  robes,  in  order  that  I  might  enter  with  thee 
within  thy  happy  bridal  chamber."  And  all  the 
other  virgins  responded  in  the  chorus,  "  I  keep  my- 
self j)ure  for  thee,  O  Bridegroom,  and  holding  a 
lighted  torch  I  go  to  meet  thee  !  "  f 

We  also  give  one  illustration  from  Clement  of 
Home :    "  God,   who   has   declared   with  his   mouth, 

^^  Banquet  of  Ten  Virgins^  Dis.  viii,  c.  2.  \  Ibid.,  Dis.  xi,  c.  2. 


The  Female  Diaconate,  etc.  155 


and  he  does  not  lie,  that  it  is  '  better  than  sons  and 
daughters,'  and  that  he  will  give  to  virgins  a  notable 
place  in  the  house  of  God,  which  is  something  '  better 
than  sons  and  daughters,'  and  better  than  the  place  of 
those  who  have  passed  a  wedded  life  in  sanctity,  and 
whose  *bed  has  not  been  defiled.'  For  God  will 
give  to  virgins  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  as  to  the 
holy  angels,  by  reason  of  this  great  and  noble  pro- 
fession." ^ 

All  writers,  ancient  and  modern,  who  wrote  in  favor 
of  a  monastic  life,  present  this  subject  of  the  espousal 
of  the  virgin  to  Christ  in  a  fascinating  form,  represent- 
ing that  vows  of  virginity  win  the  special  favor  of 
God ;  that  those  who  adopt  them  will  find  a  superior 
place  in  the  Church  on  earth,  and  obtain  a  brighter 
crown  in  heaven,  and  that  the  virgin's  intercourse  and 
communion  with  Christ  is  closer  and  more  blessed 
than  that  of  ordinary  mortals.  She  walks  and  talks 
wnth  him,  and  "  enters  into  the  happy  bridal  chamber." 
Chrysostom,  in  his  description  of  one  who  is  "  a  virgin 
indeed,"  says,  "  For  when  she  walks,  it  is  through  a 
a  wilderness;  if  she  sits  in  the  church,  it  is  in  deepest 
silence ;  her  eyes  see  none  of  those  present,  women 
nor  men,  but  the  Bridegroom  only,  as  present  and  ap- 
pearing. AYhen  she  enters  again  her  house,  she  has 
conversed  with  him  in  her  prayers,  she  has  heard  his 

*  Clement  of  Rome,  Epist  i,  c.  iv.  Any  who  wish  to  pursue  this 
subject  further  we  refer  to  Clement  of  Alexandria  and  Cyprian  for 
what  cannot  be  transcribed  here. 


156       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


voice  alone  in  the  Scriptures.  And  when  she  is  in 
lier  home,  let  her  think  on  tlie  longed-for  One  alone ; 
let  her  be  a  stranger,  a  sojourner,  a  wayfarer,  let  her 
do  all  as  beconieth  one  strans^e  to  all  things  here  below." 

The  customs  and  thought  of  early  times  have  been 
perpetuated  in  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  tremen- 
dous upheaval  of  the  Reformation  failed  to  correct  the 
abuses  that  had  found  a  lodgment  in  the  Church. 
Protestantism  corrected  those  within  her  own  borders, 
but  went  to  the  other  extreme  and  discarded  some 
things  good  and  worthy.  Protestants  generally  con- 
demn monasticism,  as  based  upon  the  error  of  merit 
in  good  works  and  the  supposed  holiness  of  a  celibate 
life.  Roman  Catholic  authorities  assert  the  usefulness 
of  monastic  orders  and  extend  special  privileges  to 
them. 

In  the  consecration  of  the  nun  we  have  the  "  espou- 
sal of  the  chaste  virgin  to  Christ  "  in  a  simple  form, 
very  ancient,  but,  nevertheless,  unscriptural  and  per- 
nicious. In  the  modern  form,  more  complicated,  spec- 
tacular, and  fascinating  to  young  and  enthusiastic 
minds,  but  always  erroneous  and  misleading ;  it  is 
very  materialistic  in  all  its  bearings.  The  virgin  is  es- 
poused to  Christ  as  a  woman  is  espoused  to  her  hus- 
band. "  The  habit,  veil,  and  ring  of  the  candidate  are 
carried  to  tlie  altar,  and  she  herself  is  conducted  to 
the  bishop,  who,  after  mass  and  an  anthem  (the  sub- 
ject of  which  is  that  she  ought  to  have  her  lamp 
lighted,  for  the  Bridegroom  is  coming),  pronounces  the 


The  Female  Diaconate,  etc.  157 

benediction  ;  then  she  rises  up,  and  the  bishop  conse- 
crates the  new  habit,  sprinkling  it  with  holy  water. 
When  the  candidate  has  put  on  her  new  habit,  she 
presents  herself  before  the  bishop,  and  says,  on  her 
knees,  'Ancilla  Christi  siim^  etc'  ('  I  am  the  maid  of 
Christ');  then  she  receives  the  veil,  and  afterw^ard 
the  ring,  by  which  she  is  married  to  Christ,  and  finally 
the  crown  of  virginity."* 

"  The  Latin  form  for  the  benediction  and  consecra- 
tion of  virgins  occupies  twenty-five  pages  in  the  Po7i' 
tificale  Eomanum  of  1818.  The  key  of  the  whole  is 
given  in  these  questions  which  the  mitered  dignitary 
presiding  puts  to  them  at  the  beginning  of  the  serv- 
ice, to  be  answered  afiirmatively  : 

*' '  Do  you  wish  to  persevere  in  the  purpose  of  holy 
virginit}^  ? 

"  '  Do  you  promise  that  you  will  preserve  your  vir- 
ginity forever  ? 

"  '  Do  you  wish  to  be  blessed  and  consecrated  and 
betrotlied  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  son  of  the  Su- 
preme God?' 

"  After  various  genuflections,  and  prostrations,  and 
chantings,  and  prajers,  and  sprinklings  witli  holy 
w^ater,  nuns  go  up  two  at  a  time  to  the  bishop,  wdio 
puts  the  veil  upon  each  nun's  head,  saying : 

"  ^  Receive  the  sacred  veil,  by  which  you  may  be 

known  to  have  despised  the  world,  and  to  have  truly 

and  humbly,  with  all  the  strivings  of  your  heart,  sub- 

*  McClintock  and  Strong,  art.  "Xun." 
11 


158       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


jected  yourself  forever  as  a  bride  to  Jesus  Christ,  and 
may  he  keep  you  from  all  evil  and  bring  you  through 
to  eternal  life.' 

"After  further  ehantings  and  prayer,  they  go  up 
again  in  pairs,  and  the  bishop  puts  a  ring  on  the  ring- 
finger  of  each  nun's  right  hand,  declaring  her  es- 
poused to  Jesus  Christ,  upon  which  the  two  chant : 

"  '  I  have  been  betrothed  to  him  whom  angels  serve, 
whose  beauty  sun  and  moon  admire.' 

"  Afterw^ard  each  nun  lias  a  crown  or  wreath  put  on 
her  head  by  the  bishop,  with  a  similar  declaration  and 
chanting.  Then  follow  prayers,  chanting,  and  two 
long  nuptial  benedictions  upon  the  nuns,  who  first 
stand  humbly  inclined,  and  tlien  kneel.  Then  the 
bishop,  sitting  upon  his  seat  and  wearing  his  miter," 
pronounces  terrible  anathemas  "by  the  authority  of 
Almighty  God,  and  of  his  blessed  apostles,  Peter 
and  Paul,"  against  any  who  shall  lead  off  the  virgins 
or  religious  persons  from  the  divine  service  to 
which  they  have  been  subjected  under  the  banner  of 
chastity."^ 

This,  to  Protestant  eyes,  seems  like  the  sinful  min- 
gling of  carnal  and  spiritual  things,  an  injustice  to  men 
and  women,  a  perversion  of  nature  and  religion,  an 
insult  to  Christ,  and  to  the  mind  enlightened  by  spir- 
itual truth,  drawn  from  the  word  of  God,  an  utter 
absurdity. 

But  this  error,  presented  in  the  specious  form  to 

*  Romanism  as  It  Is,  p.  345. 


The  Female  Diaconate,  etc.  159 

wliich  the  Roman  priesthood  is  accustomed,  is  at- 
tracting attention  even  in  Protestant  countries  where 
many  families  intrust  their  daughters  to  priests  and 
nuns  to  be  educated.  "  Face  the  idea  in  itself,"  says 
Ludlow,  "and  you  will  see  that  the  worship  of  Christ 
as  an  individual  Bridegroom  is,  in  reality,  the  worship 
of  him  not  as  the  representative  of  humanity,  but  as 
a  male  human  being,  capable  of  spiritual  polygamy. 
Many  a  time  have  I  sickened  over  the  expressions  of 
Romish  writers,  speaking  of  nuns  as  '  the  spouses  of 
Christ.'  .  .  .  And  I  know  that  this  fonl  prurient  talk 
is  being  dinned  into  the  ears  of  many  and  many  an 
English  girl  by  Romanists,  conscious  or  unconscious, 
open  or  concealed,  then  most  dangerous  when  they 
least  mean  it,  and  that  many  a  one  already  has  been 
prevailed  upon  to  leave  father  and  motlier,  and  friends, 
and  fellow-creatures,  and  to  plunge  herself  into  the 
depths  of  a  convent  in  hopes  of  uniting  herself  there 
by  the  most  solemn  of  marriage  vows  to  a  Bridegroom 
"who  will  never  forsake  her." 

The  extent  to  wdiich  this  is  carried  in  the  sister- 
hoods of  the  Church  of  England  is  scarcely  known 
beyond  their  own  limits.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
many,  both  in  the  Church  and  out  of  it,  have  serious 
apprehensions  as  to  whither  it  will  lead.  The  idea  of 
personal  marriage  with  Christ  is  fascinating  to  many 
unmarried  women  who  have  a  genius  for  religious 
work  and  ecclesiastical  ceremonies.  On  the  tenden- 
cies of  the  English  sisterhoods  a  recent  writer  gives 


160       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

the  following  testimony  :  "  Tlie  old  pernicious,  nnawk- 
ish  notion  of  '  professing  virginity '  and  becoming 
^brides  of  Christ'  is  rife  among  them.  Canon  Car- 
ter, warden  of  the  '  House  of  Mercy'  at  Clewer,  who 
has  been  almost  as  prominent  an  advocate  of  sister- 
hoods as  Dean  Howson  of  deaconesses,  warmly  de- 
fends vows  as  being  but  the  '  superadded  outward 
seals  of  a  tie  already  knitting  the  soul  in  union  with 
its  Lord,  through  the  willing  choice  of  the  virgin  or 
widowed  state  for  his  dear  sake.'  To  depart  from 
such  a  profession,  once  made,  is  deemed  a  sin.  Canon 
Carter  tells  of  the  unspeakable  blessing  it  is  to  feel 
'  that  among  the  daughters  of  the  Church  of  England, 
in  all  ranks,  there  are  those  who  are  ready  to  come 
forth,  surrendering  earthly  love,  home,  ease,  fortune, 
freedom,  as  of  old,  to  cast  themselves  only  on  the 
great  spiritual  mysteries  of  our  faith,  to  know  only 
what  it  is  to  live  in  and  for  Christ,  cheered  and 
recompensed  beyond  all  earthly  expectations  or  joys 
by  the  sense  of  the  mysterious  union  into  which  the 
heavenly  Bridegroom  has  drawn  them,  betrothing 
them  by  a  special  seal  unto  himself.'  And  it  is  said 
that  in  some  sisterhoods  '  daughters  of  the  Chnrch  of 
England '  have  perpetrated  the  sacrilegious  folly  of 
arraying  themselves  in  bridal  attire,  their  heads 
adorned  with  flowing  veil  and  orange  blossoms,  and  of 
presenting  themselves  before  the  altar,  there  to  be 
wedded  with  a  gold  ring  to  the  Saviour  of  the  world  ! 
No  wonder  that  many,  even  in  the  English  Church, 


The  Female  Diaconate,  etc.  161 

turn   with   pain    and    disgust   from   siicli    '  religious 
life  ! '"  * 

This  thought  is  frequently  found  in  the  literature 
of  the  High  Church  party  in  the  Anglican  commun- 
ion. Speaking  of  the  celibate  state,  one  writer  says: 
"  Blessed,  blessed  of  their  Lord,  are  they  (called  by 
whatever  name)  wlio  abjure  things  lawful  in  them- 
selves, and  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake  forsake 
home,  house,  and  lands,  in  order  to  be  witliout  care- 
fulness for  the  things  of  this  world,  and  to  be  more 
devoted  to  their  Lord  in  the  service  of  his  Cliurch 
and  poor,  and  to  be  holy  botli  in  body  and  soul ;  great 
is  their  reward  now,  in  this  life,  and  in  the  world  to 
come. 

"  '  A  virgin  priest  the  altar  best  attends, 

Our  Lord  that  state  commands  not,  yet  commends.'  "  f 

It  is  well  known  that  Methodism  arose  among 
High  Clmrcli  Episcopalians,  and  this  feature  of  High 
Church  tendency  was  seen  among  its  founders  and 
promoters.  Our  early  Methodist  literature  is  tinged 
with  it.  Wesley  says,  "  I  met,  in  society,  the  single 
men,  and  showed  them  on  how  many  accounts  it  was 
good  for  tliose  who  had  received  that  gift  from  God 
to  remain  single  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake."  J 
For  the  society  that  received  these  teachings  Mr.  Wes- 
ley prepared  a  "  covenant "  to  be  renewed  every  year. 

*  Andover  Review,  1888,  p.  5V9. 

f  Wesley  and  High  Churchmen,  p.  64. 

\  Journal,  viii,  p.  92. 


1G2       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

It  contained  the  following  solemn  profession,  which 
was  to  be  said  aloud,  the  people  kneeling  : 

"  And  since  Thou  hast  appointed  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  the  only  means  of  coming  unto  thee,  I  do  here, 
upon  the  bended  knees  of  my  soul,  accept  of  him  as 
the  only  new  and  living  way,  .  .  .  and  do  here  sol- 
emnly join  niyself  in  a  marriage  covenant  to  him.  O 
blessed  Jesus !  I  come  to  thee,  ...  a  guilty,  con- 
denmed  malefactor,  unworthy  to  wash  the  feet  of  the 
servants  of  my  Lord,  much  more  to  be  solemnly  mar- 
ried to  the  King  of  Glory  ;  but  since  such  is  thine 
unparalleled  love,  I  do  here,  with  all  my  power,  accept 
thee,  and  take  thee  for  my  Head  and  Husband,  for 
better,  for  worse,  for  richer,  for  poorer,  for  all  times 
and  conditions,  to  love,  honor,  and  obey  thee  before 
all  others,  and  this  to  the  death,"  etc.  "  Amen,  so 
be  it ;  and  the  covenant  which  I  have  made  on  earth 
let  it  be  ratified  in  heaven."  ^ 

We  find  it  also  in  some  of  the  early  Methodist 
hymns  : 

"  T  have  no  sharer  of  my  heart 
To  rob  my  Saviour  of  a  part 

And  desecrate  the  whole ; 
Only  betrothed  to  Christ  am  I, 
To  wait  his  coming  from  the  sky, 

To  wed  ray  happy  soul." 

Wesley  expressed  his  sense  of  the  high  estate  of 
those  who  lived  a  celibate  life  for  the  "  kingdom  of 
heaven's  sake  "  in  the  following  lines  : 

*  Wedeij  and  High  Churchmen,  p.  66. 


The  Female  Di  agon  ate,  etc.  163 

"  Thousands  of  virgins  chaste  and  clean, 
From  Love's  pleasing  witchcrafts  free, 

Fairer  than  tlie  sons  of  men, 

CoDsecrate  their  hearts  to  Tliee. "  * 

The  spiritual  union  existing  between  the  soul  of 
the  believer  and  God  through  Christ  has  been  mis- 
construed. In  the  case  of  the  Church  virgin  who 
had  resolved  on  a  life  of  virginity,  when  she  broke 
her  vow  and  entered  the  married  state  it  was  ac- 
counted a  monstrous  sin  and  crime,  and  both  the 
Church  and  State  enacted  severe  measures  for  its 
punishment.  In  modern  times  the  punishment  is 
ecclesiastical,  and  the  anathemas  of  the  Church  are 
pronounced  against  all  involved  in  it. 

We  do  not  fail  to  distinguish  between  the  mate- 
rialistic Komanist  error  of  the  marriage  of  the  woman 
with  Christ  and  the  spiritual  marriage  of  the  soul 
with  its  Lord,  so  often  found  in  the  writings  of  the 
mystics  in  both  prose  and  poetry,  but  they  are  kin- 
dred errors,  and  must  be  shunned.  This  thought  is 
often  associated  with  the  most  fervid  forms  of  devo- 
tion, and  entertained  by  the  most  self-sacrificing  and 
devoted  people,  but  who,  carrying  the  thought  to  an 
extreme,  have  been  caught  in  the  snare  of  "  the  flesh 
and  the  devil." 

Professor  F.  W.  Newman,  one  of  the  ablest  writers 
in  the  English  language,  thus  presents  it : 

''  That  none  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven 

*  Wesley  and  High  Churchmen^  p.  68. 


164       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

witliout  becoming  a  little  child^  guileless  and  simple- 
minded,  is  a  sentiment  long  well  known.  But  be- 
hind and  after  tins  there  is  a  mystery,  revealed  to 
but  few,  which  thon,  O  Reader,  must  take  to  heart. 
Namely,  if  thy  soul  is  to  go  on  into  higher  spiritual 
blessedness,  it  must  become  a  looman  y  yes,  however 
manly  thou  be  among  men.  .  .  .  Spiritual  persons 
have  exhausted  human  relationships  in  the  vain  at- 
tempt to  express  their  full  feeling  of  what  God  (or 
Christ)  is  to  them — Father,  Brother,  Friend,  King, 
Master,  Shepherd,  Guide,  are  common  titles.  .  .  . 
But  what  has  been  said  will  show  why  a  still  ten- 
derer tie  has  ordinarily  presented  itself  to  the  Chris- 
tian imagination  as  a  more  appropriate  metaplior, 
that  of  marriage.  .  .  .  Those  in  whom  these  phe- 
nomena have  been  sharply  marked,  so  as  to  make  a 
new  crisis  of  the  life,  seem  instinctively  to  compare 
the  process  wdiich  they  thus  undergo  to  a  spiritual 
marriage. 

We  have  seen  the  longings  of  the  soul  to  convert 
God's  transitory  visits  into  an  abiding  union,  and  how 
it  is  eager  above  all  things  to  make  this  union  indis- 
sohtble.  On  getting  a  clear  perception  that  it  is  ask- 
ing that  which  he  delights  to  grant,  it  believes  that 
its  prayer  is  answered.  .  .  .  It  is  therefore  very  far 
indeed  from  a  gratuitous  phantasy  to  speak  of  this  as 
a  niarriage  of  the  soul  to  God.  No  other  metaphor, 
in  fact,  w411  express  the  thing,  and  it  is  hard  to  think 
that   any  can  have  experienced  it  and  not  feel  the 


The  Female  Diaconate,  etc.  165 

suitability  of  the  phrase,  thougli  (for  fear  of  casting 
pearls  before  swine)  one  must  ordinarilj^  avoid  any 
allusion  to  what  is  not  only  a  sacred  but  a  momentous 
transaction."  * 

This  was  written  by  one  who  had  gone  far  from  the 
paths  of  orthodoxy,  and  whose  writings,  both  brill- 
iant and  profound,  have  had  a  baneful  influence  upon 
the  religious  thought  of  the  age. 

These  errors,  which  are  closely  associated  with  the 
formal  consecration  of  women  to  the  service  of  Christ 
in  his  Church,  are  not  necessary  outgrowths  of  it,  but 
perversions  of  a  legitimate  religious  act.  They  come 
from  the  idea  of  the  superior  holiness  of  an  unmar- 
ried life.  As  most  modern  deaconess  institutions  ad- 
mit only  single  women,  it  can  readily  be  seen  that 
caution  is  necessary. 

So  long  as  we  abide  by  the  holy  Scriptures,  and 
retain  the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel,  we  are  not  in 
danger  of  the  errors  above  mentioned.  Let  the  dea- 
coness be  separated  to  the  work  at  lier  own  wish,  and 
by  the  concurrent  action  of  the  Church  ;  let  her  ordi- 
nation be  simple  and  devout,  by  the  imposition  of 
the  hands  of  the  bishop,  with  solemn  prayer  for  the 
endowment  of  the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  special  work 
to  which  she  is  consecrated.  She  must  be  as  free  as 
the  clergy,  with  no  binding  vows  or  any  thing  that 
looks  like  monasticism.  While  she  may  regard  an 
unmarried  state  as  conducive  to  success  in  her  chosen 

*  The  Soul,  p.  54. 


166        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

field,  she  must  remember  it  is  in  no  sense  essential 
to  lier  purity  of  character  or  her  eternal  salvation. 
Her  life  will  then  be  in  accord  with  sound  reason,  the 
liighest  instincts  of  human  nature,  and  the  benevolence 
of  Christ. 

While  the  primal  object  of  this  life  of  labor  is  to 
benefit  the  poor  and  win  them  to  Christ,  its  subjec- 
tive influence  should  not  be  overlooked.  Free  inter- 
course with  all  classes,  as  a  recognized  servant  of 
Christ  and  minister  of  his  Church,  will  give  the  mind 
a  broader  scope,  and  the  heart  a  deeper  sympathy. 
The  deaconess  will  make  a  still  greater  advance  "  when 
our  cynical  world  shall  comprehend  that  it  is  not 
for  the  gratification  of  passing  vanity,  or  foolish 
pleasure,  or  matrimonial  ends,  that  she  extends  her 
hand  of  generous  courtesy  to  man,  but  that  he  may 
be  aided  by  tlie  strength  she  gives  in  weakness, 
encouraged  by  the  smiles  she  bestows  in  sympathy, 
and  enlightened  by  the  wisdom  she  has  gained  by 
inspiration."  * 

*  Beacon  Lights,  p.  97. 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiserswerth.        167 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

THE  DEACONESSES  OF  KAISERSWERTH. 

At  tlie  time  of  the  Reformation  the  perversion  of 
Christianity  was  so  great,  and  its  forms  and  methods 
so  corrupt,  that  a  deep  prejudice  existed  against  all 
its  institutions.  The  truth  had  become  so  obscured 
by  the  traditions  of  men  that  it  was  difficult  to  sepa- 
rate the  wheat  from  the  chaff.  It  required  great 
powers  of  discernment  to  trace  back,  through  the 
errors  of  mediaeval  Christianity,  those  living  germs 
of  truth  which  had  been  deposited  in  the  primitive 
Church  by  Christ  and  his  apostles.  They  had  been 
overlaid  by  human  accretions  that  tended  only  to 
vanity  and  ambition  in  the  clergy,  and  to  spiritual 
darkness  among  the  masses.  It  was  difficult  to  find 
the  "  virgin,"  the  "  widow,"  or  the  "  deaconess  "  of 
the  apostolic  Church  in  the  nun  of  the  Middle 
Ages. 

Because  of  the  perversion  of  the  original  type  of 
deaconess,  and  the  consequent  prejudice  of  the  Re- 
formers, some  ancient  offices  and  apostolic  methods 
were  not  readily  separated  from  the  corrupt  institu- 
tions of  Romanism,  and  incorporated  in  the  Church 
of  the  Reformation.     This  was  a  natural   result  of 


168       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

the  agitation  and  confusion  of  the  times.  The  pen- 
dulum having  swung  so  far  from  the  center  of  truth 
in  the  direction  of  superstition,  in  its  backward  sweep 
passed  the  hne  established  by  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  reached  the  other  extreme.  The  Reformers  had 
not  yet  discovered  the  germ  of  the  female  diaconate 
beneath  the  perversions  of  monasticism.  "In  every 
place,  instead  of  a  hierarchy  seeking  its  rigliteousness 
in  the  works  of  man,  its  glory  in  external  pomp,  its 
strength  in  a  material  power,  the  Church  of  the 
apostles  re-appeared,  humble  as  in  primitive  times, 
and,  like  the  ancient  Christians,  looking  for  its  right- 
eousness, its  glory,  and  its  power  solely  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb  and  in  the  word  of  God."  "^ 

Many  sporadic  efforts  were  made  to  revive  the 
diaconate  soon  after  the  Reformation,  but  these  stood 
apart  from  any  general  plan  and  worked  under  no 
system. 

The  church  in  Wesel,  Germany,  employed  deacon- 
esses as  early  as  1575.  The  congregation  consisted  of 
Protestant  refugees  from  Holland  and  elsewhere. 
One  of  its  first  acts  was  to  decide  that  women  were 
to  be  officially  employed  by  the  presbytery  among  the 
poor  and  sick.  The  word  deaconess  was  systemat- 
ically nsed,  and  the  formal  choice  of  one  and  another 
to  fill  the  position  is  recorded  and  their  names  given. 
The  congregation  having,  for  itself,  restored  the 
female  diaconate,  asked  the  authorities  of  the   Ke- 

*  D'Aubigne,  Hist.  Eef.^  vol.  iv,  p.  41. 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaisers werth.        169 

formed  Church  for  approval.  The  classis  decided  it 
should  stand  until  a  final  decision  could  be  reached, 
but  defered,  action  until  their  next  meeting.  In  1580 
the  same  classis  decided  that,  "  If  this  office,  which  had 
fallen  into  disuse  and  decay  in  the  Church  of  God,  is 
again  to  be  restored,  then  it  shall  be  established  in  the 
same  form  and  with  the  same  cliaracter  belonging  to  it, 
as  described  by  the  apostle  Paul,  namely,  widows,  and 
not  married  women,  shall  be  chosen  for  that  purpose." 
The  matter  was  referred  to  tlie  next  provincial  synod. 
Accordingly,  in  due  course,  it  came  before  the  general 
synod  in  Middleberg,  in  1581,  wliich,  unfortunately, 
decided  against  it  "  on  account  of  various  incon- 
veniences which  might  arise  out  of  it,  but  in  times  of 
pestilence  and  other  sicknesses,  when  any  service  is  re- 
quired among  sick  women  wdiich  would  be  indelicate 
to  deacons,  they  ought  to  attend  to  this  through  their 
wives,  or  others  whose  services  it  may  be  proper  to 
engage."  The  congregation  in  Wesel  continued  to 
employ  deaconesses  until  1610,  when  all  traces  of  the 
institution  are  lost.  The  principal  cause  of  its  dis- 
appearance was  the  failure  of  authorization  by  the 
synod,  but  Dr.  Fliedner  assigns  also  the  following 
reasons  (they  are  four  in  number):  ''The  introduc- 
tion of  a  system  of  State  relief  for  the  poor  in  place 
of  the  free  exertions  of  tlie  Church ;  the  enactment 
of  a  new  rule  that  no  one  but  women  of  sixty  years 
of  age  should  be  chosen ;  the  custom  of  very  gener- 
ally employing  married  women,  and,  lastly,  the  near 


170        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

approacli  of  the  sad  calamities  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War." 

There  is  one  singular  outburst  of  female  activity  in 
the  line  of  religious  ministration  in  connection  with 
the  Reformation  in  Switzerland.  "The  nuns  of  the 
Yale  of  St.  Catherine,  in  Thurgovia,  deserted  by  their 
priests,  and  excited  by  some  noblemen  beyond  the 
Rhine,  who  styled  them  in  their  letters 'chivalrous 
■women  of  the  house  of  God,'  sang  mass  themselves, 
and  appointed  one  of  their  number  preacher  to  the 
convent."* 

This  brings  to  mind  an  incide]it  which  occurred  in 
Pennsylvania  in  recent  times.  A  certain  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  was  without  a  pastor,  and  having  a 
lady  Sunday-school  superintendent  who  felt  the  spir- 
itual needs  of  tlie  children,  she  thought  she  could  in 
some  sort  supply  them  by  reading  the  Form  of  Service. 
She  did  so,  and  the  parents,  hearing  of  the  matter, 
came  to  the  churcli  to  enjoy  the  services  of  the  female 
ministrant,  until  it  was  crowded,  and  the  lady  became 
frightened  at  the  interest  she  had  aroused.  She 
wrote  to  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  for  advice,  and  he 
answered :  "  Proceed  with  your  services  until  I  call 
you  to  order." 

Time,  so  important  an  element  in  all  the  affairs 
of  men,  is  not  essential  to  tlie  government  of  God. 
"  One  day  is  with  the^  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and 
a  thousand  years  as  one  day."     The  eternal  years  be- 

*D'Aubigue,  Hist.  Ref.,  vol.  iv,  p.  372. 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiseeswerth.        171 

long  to  God  and  truth.  The  Reformation  ]iad  to  re-lay 
the  foundations  every-where  ;  the  details  of  the  king- 
dom were  to  be  carried  out  at  a  later  period.  It  has 
taken  tlie  Church  three  hundred  years  to  rise  hio-h 
enough  above  the  mists  to  see  the  good  and  eliminate 
the  evil  that  was  in  medigeval  Christianity.  Some 
wise  and  godly  men  saw  that  there  was  a  lack  of  organ- 
ized female  talent  in  the  Protestant  Church,  but  were 
not  able  to  furnish  a  remedy  for  the  evil.  When  the 
order  of  deaconesses  was  proposed  the  people  cried 
''  Popery,"  and  Protestantism  has  failed  to  avail  itself 
of  the  talent  of  woman  and  is  not  as  rich  in  good 
works  as  it  mio^ht  have  been. 

The  restoration  of  the  ancient  order  of  deaconesses 
in  the  nineteenth  century  claims  our  attention.  It  is 
difficult  to  decide  from  whom  the  first  suggestion 
came.  The  honoris  claimed  l)y  different  authors  for 
different  persons.  It  is  probable  that  like  condi- 
tions of  suffering  and  need  produced  like  impressions 
on  many  hearts,  ana  suggested  to  each  the  same 
remedy.  As  in  the  case  of  Sunday-schools — many 
efforts  were  made  to  establish  them,  yet  none  became 
permanent  save  those  of  Robert  Raikes — so,  the  first 
deaconess  institution  of  modern  times  that  became 
permanent  was  that  of  Pastor  Fliedner,  of  Kaisers- 
werth,  and  the  honor  of  the  restoration  of  the  order 
belongs  to  him. 

In  1820  Pastor  Friedrich  Kloenne,  on  the  lower 
Rhine,  published  a  pamphlet  On  the  Eevival  of  the 


172       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Deaconesses  of  the  Ancient  Church  in  our  Ladles'' 
Societies.  This  suggestion  met  with  the  wannest 
sympathy  in  the  highest  circles  of  both  Church  and 
State.  Baron  von  Stein,  in  a  letter  to  Amalie  Sieve- 
king,  of  Hamburg,  wrote  on  this  subject :  "  In  visit- 
ing the  institutions  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  I  w^as 
exceedingly  struck  by  the  expression  of  inward  peace, 
repose,  self-denial,  and  innocent  sprightliness  of  the 
sisters,  and  by  their  kind  and  benign  treatment  of  the 
sick  intrusted  to  their  care.  To  such  sights  a  pitiful 
contrast  is  offered  by  the  expression  of  discomfort  in 
young  women  of  the  upper  and  middle  classes,  not 
obliged  to  earn  their  bread  by  the  work  of  their  hands ; 
fretted  by  ungratiiied  vanity,  mortitied  by  neglect;  un- 
manned and  growing  old  ;  who  on  account  of  preten- 
sions, disregarded  in  a  thousand  forms,  and  on  account 
of  their  idleness,  are  conscious  of  an  emptiness  and 
bitterness  in  their  lives  which  make  them  unhappy 
themselves  and  burdensome  to  others.  The  question 
was  natural,  Why  are  there  no  similar  orders  to  that 
of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  the  kindred  confessions  of 
Protestants  ?  In  many  cities  we  have  endowments  for 
similar  institutions ;  there  is  continual  evidence  of  an 
active  spirit  in  ladies'  societies,  etc.,  but  such  firm,  last- 
ing associations  as  that  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity — which 
includes  so  much  that  is  excellent — these  we  lack.""* 

The  German   nobility,  and  even  royalty,  were  at 
different  times  interested  in  the  restoration  of   the 
*F}iebe,  The  Deaconess,  A.  Spaeth,  D.D.,  p.  10, 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaisekswerth.       173 

deaconess  institution,  but  notliing  practical  resulted. 
The  pious  Count  Adalbert  von  der  Eecke-Yolmerstien 
began  the  publication  of  a  periodical  in  the  spring 
of  1835,  The  Deaconess^  or  Life  and  Labors  of  the 
LLandmaids  of  the  Church  in  Teaching^  Trainingy 
and  ill  Nursing  the  /Sick.  This  never  went  beyond  the 
first  number,  but  its  title  indicates  the  intention  of  its 
publisher.  The  count  had  for  many  years  contem- 
plated the  establishment  of  a  deaconess  institution, 
but  never  carried  it  into  effect.  He  prepared  a  plan 
which  was  laid  before  the  Crown-Prince  of  Prussia, 
afterward  King  Frederick  William  TV.,  to  which  the 
prince  replied  :  "  Your  ideas  upon  the  revival  of  the 
order  of  deaconesses  in  our  Church  have  been  re- 
ceived by  me  with  real  joy.  Such  a  revival  has  floated 
before  my  own  mind  for  years  as  an  ideal  to  be  longed 
for;  one  of  the  many  things  our  Church  really  needs 
and  lacks,  without  which  her  disfigurement  is  much 
like  that  of  a  human  face  in  which  the  nose,  for  ex- 
ample, is  missing.  I  agree  particularly  in  the  view 
that  the  office  ought  to  be  avowedly  a  church  office."* 

The  order,  however,  was  not  revived  or  established 
by  nobles  or  princes,  but  by  a  humble,  pious  pastor 
of  a  small  church  in  a  country  town.  As  his  work 
has  lately  come  into  prominence  a  brief  sketch  of  him 
will  not  be  out  of  place. 

Theodore  Fliedner,  of  Kaiserswerth,  was  born  in 

January,  1800,  at  Eppstein,  a  village    on   the    fron- 

*  Fhebe,  The  Deaconess,  A.  Spaeth,  D.D.,  p.  12. 
12 


ITi        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


tiers  of  Hesse  and  Nassau,  wliere  his  father  was  pas- 
tor of  the  parish  church.  He  studied  at  the  univer- 
sities of  Giessen  and  Gottingen  and  the  theological 
seminary  of  Herborn  ;  was  licensed  to  preach  at  the 
age  of  twent}',  and  the  next  year  became  pastor  of 
the  small  church  at  Kaiserswertli.  His  salary  was  to 
be  one  hundred  and  eighty  Prussian  dollars,  but  even 
this  the  congregation  was  unable  to  pay  because  of 
the  failure  of  a  manufactory  in  which  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  population  were  employed.  This  failure, 
and  the  poverty  of  the  people,  constrained  the  pastor 
to  go  upon  a  collecting  tour  in  the  Rhine  Province, 
Holland,  and  England.  "  ]N'ever  did  a  man  begin 
to  ask  for  help  with  a  heavier  heart,  nor  with  worse 
success,  till  a  brother  pastor  at  Elberfeld  took  him 
home  to  dinner  and  told  him  that  the  three  requi- 
sites for  his  work  were  '  patience,  impudence,  and  a 
ready  tongue;'  or,  as  Dr.  Spaetli  renders  it,  'pa- 
tience, boldness,  and  eloquence.'  The  receipt,  to 
which  Fliedner  added  much  prayer  and  faith,  proved 
so  successful  that  lie  was  spoken  of  before  his  death 
as  the  most  accomplished  beggar  ever  known  in  Ger- 
many. England,  America,  and  many  distant  regions 
poured  contributions  into  his  treasury,  and  often  his 
worst  necessities  were  relieved  by  what  seemed  al- 
most miraculous  unsolicited  gifts,  which  exactly  an- 
swered the  demands  upon  him."*  By  this  work, 
which,  proved  successful  in  a  financial  sense,  his  hori- 
*  McClintock  &  Strong,  Ency.,  art.  "FHedner." 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaisers werth.  175 

zon  was  widened  by  an  acquaintance  with  noble  un- 
dertakings of  every  kind  in  the  interest  of  the  king- 
dom of  God.  He  learned  then  of  ''  a  great  number 
of  institutions  for  the  care  of  body  and  soul ;  schools 
and  training  institutions ;  houses  for  the  poor,  for 
orphans,  and  the  sick;  prisons  and  societies  for  im- 
proving the  condition  of  prisoners ;  and  at  the  same 
time  noticed  how  all  these  institutions  owed  both 
their  existence  and  support  to  a  living  faith  in 
Christ."  * 

This  last  lesson  was  one  of  the  most  important  that 
Pastor  Fliedner  could  have  learned  for  his  great  life- 
work.  This  will  place  him  by  the  side  of  George 
Miiller,  and  other  worthies  of  the  modern  Church 
whose  faith  has  wrought  wonders  in  the  kingdom  of 
God.  In  his  journey  through  England  he  became 
acquainted  with  Elizabeth  Fry,  that  noble  philanthro- 
pist whose  labors  for  the  good  of  prisoners  were  only 
second  to  those  of  John  Howard.  This  acquaintance 
led,  after  his  return  to  Germany,  to  the  examination 
of  the  prisons  and  prisoners  in  his  own  neighbor- 
hood, which  he  found  in  a  most  wretched  condition. 
Convicts  were  crowded  together  in  dark,  damp,  dirty 
cells  or  cellars  without  light  or  air,  and  entirely  with- 
out classification.  This  he  remedied  by  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Rhenish-Westphalian  Prison  Society  in 
1826.  "  Seeking  a  matron  for  the  female  wards  at 
Dusseldorf,  he  found  his  wife,  whose  parents  refused 
*  riiedner's  Short  History,  etc.,  p.  2. 


176        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

to  let  her  take  tlie  position  first  offered  to  her,  but 
approved  her  acceptance  of  the  joung  pastor  himself, 
although  the  second  involved  all  the  duties  of  the 
first." 

In  his  travels  in  Holland  he  found  an  arrangement 
among  the  Mennonites  which  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  his  mind.  Deaconesses  were  chosen  by  the 
Church  officers  to  whom  the  care  of  poor  women  was 
given  over.  "They  visit  the  huts  of  poverty,  distrib- 
ute clothing  given  for  this  purpose,  provide  places  for 
girls  in  service,  etc.  They  labor  without  salary,  as 
deacons  do ;  they  belong  to  the  most  respectable  fam- 
ilies of  the  congregation,  and  take  upon  themselves 
an  occupation  demanding  so  many  sacrifices  with  the 
greatest  readiness.  This  praiseworthy  and  Christian 
system  might  well  be  instituted  by  other  confessions. 
The  apostolic  Church  introduced  the  office  of  dea- 
coness, well  knowing  that  masculine  attendance  could 
not  take  the  place  of  their  tender  womanly  feeling 
and  fine  feminine  tact  in  alleviating  bodily  and  men- 
tal trouble,  especially  among  their  own  sex."  ^ 

Fliedner's  work  among  the  prisoners  brought  him 
face  to  face  with  the  question  of  the  restoration  to 
virtue  of  discharged  female  convicts.  He  began  his 
deaconess  work  with  one  of  this  class,  with  a  single 
lady  to  help  him,  in  a  small  summer-house,  with  one 
table,  two  beds,  and  two  chairs.  This  summer-house, 
wdiich  still  stands  in  the  parochial  minister's  garden 
*  Pliedner,  quoted  by  Dr.  Spaeth,  p.  13. 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiserswerth.        177 

at  Kaiserswerth,  is  the  true  parent-house  of  all  the 
deaconess  institutions  of  Germany.*  The  man  of 
God  who  was  thus  moved  by  the  Spirit  to  this  phil- 
anthropic work  embraced  in  his  faith  and  love  all 
classes  of  suffering  humanity :  the  prisoner,  the  or- 
phan, tlie  destitute,  the  sick  and  dying.  Few  men 
ever  entered  upon  a  work  with  such  small  beginnings, 
that  in  one  life-time  issued  in  such  signal  success. 

As  the  work  extended  he  found  that  he  must  se- 
cure help  in  the  line  of  trained  nurses  who  could  care 
for  the  sick  and  dying.  The  matter  was  laid  before 
a  few  friends  whom  he  had  interested,  and  in  1836  the 
statutes  for  the  deaconess  society  were  drawn  up  and 
signed  in  the  house  of  Count  Stolberg  in  Dusseldorf. 
The  daughter  of  a  physician,  Gertrude  Eeichard,  was 
the  first  one  who  promised  to  become  a  deaconess ; 
the  first  of  a  noble  line  of  consecrated  women  whose 
names  will  live  and  shine  bright  in  the  records  of 
the  Church  and  in  tlie  Book  of  God  w^lien  the  great 
names  of  the  world  shall  have  been  lost  in  oblivion. 

"  A  house,  bought  on  credit  for  $2,300,  was  opened 
on  the  13th  of  October,  1836.  It  was  the  largest  and 
finest  house  in  Kaiserswerth,  the  homestead  of  one  of 
the  chief  founders  of  the  evangelical  congregation. 
On  the  20th  the  deaconess  entered ;  and  the  first 
patient  of  the  first  evangelical  deaconess's  house 
was  a  Koman  Catholic  servant  maid."  f  The  work 
had  its  enemies,  as  all  good  things  have.  The  peo- 
*  Howsoii,  p.  72.  t  ^^-  Spaeth,  p.  14. 


178       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

pie  of  the  town  opposed  it,  fearing  tlie  place  would 
be  depopulated  by  contagious  diseases.  The  Roman 
Catholic  clergy  were  its  bitterest  opponents,  and  pre- 
dicted its  early  overthrow,  doing  what  they  could 
to  bring  to  pass  their  own  predictions.  A  recent 
German  author  says :  "  Theodore  Fliedner,  having 
called  to  a  new  life  the  female  diaconate  of  the  apos- 
tolic age,  naturally  provoked  the  criticism,  and  espe- 
cially the  unfavorable  predictions,  of  the  timid  and 
apathetic  ones.  His  undertaking  was  indeed  a  w^ork 
of  faith  which  must  be  disapproved  by  all  those  who 
did  not  stand  fully  and  entirely  with  him  upon  the 
ground  of  the  Gospel.  It  was  especially  from  Ro- 
man Catholic  sources  that  prophecies  came  of  failure 
and  an  early  end  to  the  enterprise.  They  were  shame- 
less enough  to  place  Fliedner's  endeavors  on  a  parallel 
with  those  of  the  Emperor  Julian  the  Apostate, 
who,  said  they,  '  from  a  mere  desire  to  make  prose- 
lytes, and  from  anger  that  the  Christians  alone 
had  charitable  institutions,  erected  hospitals,  houses 
of  refuge,  and  bath-houses  on  the  grandest  scale, 
and  endowed  them  most  lavishly.  But  the  root  was 
rotten  ;  after  the  death  of  the  emperor  all  these  estab- 
lishments perished.  A  like  fate  we  must  prophesy  for 
the  creations  of  Mr.  Fliedner  f  But  it  happened  as 
Ezekiel  said  of  the  false  prophets  of  his  time,  'they 
have  seen  vanity  and  lying  divination.'  Ezek.  xiii,  6. 
What  these  enemies  predicted  in  the  year  1818  is  em- 
phatically disproved  by  a    single  glance  at  the  pres- 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiseeswerth.       179 

ent  status  of  our  cause.  The  grain  of  niustard-seed 
planted  in  the  parochial  garden  at  Kaiserswerth  ]ias 
grown  into  a  mighty  tree,  reaching  to  heaven  and 
extending  its  branches  over  the  whole  earth."  ^ 

Notwithstanding  all  opposition,  it  prospered 
greatly,  and  in  January,  1838,  the  mother-house 
was  able  to  send  out  the  lirst  deaconess  to  the  city 
hospital  in  Elberfeld. 

''  For  twenty-eight  years  Fliedner  devoted  to  it 
his  remarkable  practical  wisdom  and  indomitable 
perseverance.  He  added  new  buildings,  extended 
his  plans  of  benelicence,  undertook  long  journeys, 
collected  funds,  and  shaped  the  whole  administration 
with  uncommon  insight  into  human  nature,  and 
with  deep  sympathy  for  human  ills."  f  Under  his 
management  it  grew ;  it  had  the  impulses  of  spir- 
itual life  ;  the  blessing  of  God  was  on  it,  and  it 
possessed  adaptation  to  human  needs.  "  He  began 
his  work  diffidently,  in  the  place  now  forever  asso- 
ciated with  his  name,  and  which  became  under  his 
hand  the  center  of  an  influence  approaching  that 
of  Wesley  himself,  wliose  power  of  endurance,  faith, 
and  incessant  labor  Fliedner  rivaled."  :j;  In  an  al- 
most incredibly  short  space  of  time  the  work  spread 
to  other  cities,  and  deaconess  houses  were  established 

*  Die  Weibliche  Diakonie,  by  Rev.  Thomas  Schafer,  Stuttgart,  1887, 
vol.  i,  p.  227. 

f  Mrs.  C.  M.  Mead.  Andover  Review,  1888,  p.  562, 
\  McClintock  and  Strong. 


180        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

in  "  Paris,  Strasburg,  Dresden,  Breslau,  Koenigsberg, 
and  Stettin.  The  German  hospital  in  London  pro- 
cured deaconesses  as  early  as  1816.  Jerusalem, 
Bejrout,  Smyrna,  Constantinople,  in  the  East,  and 
Pittsburg,  in  our  own  Western  land,  received  their 
deaconesses,  whom  Fliedner  installed  in  the  places 
designated.  When  he  celebrated  the  twenty-fifth 
anniversary  of  Kaiserswerth  in  1861  there  were  al- 
ready twenty-seven  deaconess  houses ;  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  1864,  the  mother-houses  num- 
bered thirty,  with  sixteen  hundred  deaconesses  (of 
whom  tour  hundred  and  twenty-five  belonged  to 
Kaiserswerth),  having  more  than  four  hundred  differ- 
ent fields  of  labor.  Meanwhile  their  number  has 
reached  over  seven  thousand  one  hundred  deacon- 
esses, in  fifteen  hundred  fields  of  labor,  and  the 
annual  income  of  the  deaconess  work  amounts  to 
about  $1,000,000."  *  This  kind  of  work  can  only 
be  made  efiicient  and  permanent  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  and  by  placing  at  its  foundation  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  The  patronage  of  the  great  and  the  gifts  of 
the  wealthy  may  be  accessories  to  its  success,  but 
only  the  life  that  God  infuses  can  carry  comfort 
to  the  disconsolate  or  salvation  to  the  sinful.  ''  The 
little  seed  planted  by  Fliedner  contained  in  itself 
a  heavenly  life;  therefore  has  it  grown  to  a 
mighty  tree,  stretching  its  branches  over  sea  and 
land,  and    alfording   rest   to    tens    of   thousands   of 

*  Dr.  Spaeth,  p.  15. 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaisers werth.       181 

weary  and  heavy-laden  ones,  who  seek  its  shadow. 
He  who  looks  upon  this  tree  with  an  attentive, 
thoughtful  heart  can  only  say :  '  This  is  the  Lord's 
doing,  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes.' "  * 

The  founder  of  the  institution  was  a  man  of 
calm,  strong  character,  full  of  energy  and  devout, 
abounding  in  common  sense  and  fertile  in  resources ; 
not  easily  turned  from  his  purpose,  above  the  folly 
of  running  any  risks  by  worthless  imitations  of 
Catholicism,  or  of  rejecting  what  was  good  because 
it  was  called  popery.  Dr.  Fliedner  died  at  Kaisers- 
werth  October  4,  1864,  worn  out  by  journeys  in 
Germany,  France,  Great  Britain,  and  America,  which 
had  brought  on  disease  of  the  lungs.  To  the  very 
last  of  his  life  he  continued,  in  spite  of  painful  weak- 
ness, to  exhort  those  near  him  to  a  religious  and 
earnest  life,  took  keen  interest  in  the  details  of  daily 
work  going  on  around  him,  and  died  a  day  or  two 
after  taking  the  communion  with  his  whole  estab- 
lishment and  family,  including  two  sons,  whose  en- 
trance into  the  Church  he  specially  rejoiced  to  see. 

The  institution  at  Kaiserswerth  now  includes, 
1.  The  "mother-house"  and  hospital  attached,  a  dis- 
pensary, a  chapel,  the  probationers'  house,  the 
"house  of  evening  rest"  for  aged  and  infirm  deacon- 
esses. 2.  A  refuge  for  discharged  female  convicts. 
3.  Normal  schools  or  training  colleges  for  school-mis- 
tresses and  school-masters,  and  schools  for  poor  chil- 

*Dr.  Spaeth,  p.  15. 


1S2       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern, 

dren.  The  fiftieth  report  gives  2,080  as  tlie  nuiiiber 
of  teachers  who  have  been  fitted  at  Kaiserswerth, 
and  adds :  "  This  is  a  great  host  who  have  gone  to 
all  the  regions  of  the  world,  to  testify  by  precept 
and  practice  that  for  Ghilclreii,  rich  and  poor^  tJie 
root  out  of  which  all  genuine  character  is  produced 
lies  hidden  in  the  Gospel ^  ^'  4.  An  insane  asylum 
for  Protestant  women.  5.  A  home  for  invalid 
women  of  the  Protestant  faith.  All  these  are  util- 
ized for  the  training  of  deaconesses  for^  their  varied 
departments  of  labor,  and  some  of  them  were 
founded  with  this  special  object  in  view.  We  have 
not  space  for  an  enumeration  or  description  of  the 
large  number  of  branch  or  affiliated  houses,  or  for 
the  numerous  institutions  that  have  taken  their  rise 
from  Kaiserswerth.  They  are  one  in  spirit  and  aim, 
though  they  may  differ  in  minor  details. 

The  fundamental  features  of  the  institution  may 
be  briefly  stated.  It  has  for  its  object  the  training 
of  Protestant  Christian  women  as  deaconesses  in  the 
apostolic  sense,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  care  of  the 
sick,  the  poor,  children,  prisoners,  released  criminals, 
and  all  others  who  need  bodily  care,  spiritual  conso- 
lation, and  direction.  The  deaconess  may  labor 
among  all  classes,  irrespective  of  creed,  but  may  not 
attempt  to  make  proselytes  to  the  Protestant  faith. 
The  two  great  departments  of  work  are  nursing  and 
teaching. 

*  Andover  Review^  p.  567. 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiserswerth.         1S3 

The  society  is  under  the  supervision  of  a  board 
of  directors,  one  member  of  which  is  a  practicing 
physician.  Under  it  the  whole  work  is  carried  on 
by  the  managers ;  that  is,  by  the  inspector,  who  is  a 
Protestant  clergyman,  and  the  lady  superintendent, 
both  of  whom  are  appointed  by  the  board.  Under 
these  the  mother-house  and  every  branch  house  has 
its  presiding  deaconess,  who  is  called  "sister."  Thus 
the  whole  is  divided  into  a  number  of  independent 
families,  yet  all  are  animated  by  the  same  spirit. 

The  educational  qualitications  for  those  who  desire 
to  become  deaconesses  differ,  beins^  much  hio-her  for 
those  who  are  to  become  teachers.  But  the  lovvest 
standard  requires  that  they  be  able  to  read  well, 
write,  and  have  some  knowledge  of  arithmetic.  The 
applicant  must  be  at  least  eighteen,  and  usually  not 
above  forty  years  of  age.  She  must  express  her 
wish  in  writing  to  the  directors,  and  send  witli  it  a 
certificate  of  baptism,  a  short  account  of  her  life, 
composed  by  herself,  a  testimonial  of  good  moral 
character  from  her  pastor,  and  a  medical  certificate 
of  good  health.  She  must  have  the  consent  of  her 
parents,  if  living.  None  but  unmarried  women  or 
childless  widows  of  the  Protestant  faith  are  eligible, 
and  they  must  be  of  earnest  Christian  character. 

Every  deaconess  must  go  tlirough  a  probation  of 
from  six  to  twelve  months,  and  this  time  can  be  ex- 
tended, if  it  seem  desirable,  to  two  or  three  years. 
The  probationary  term   is  spent   in  the  institution. 


184:       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

The  probationer  is  not  raised  to  the  position  and 
office  of  deaconess  unless  she  is  elected  bj  a  majority 
of  deaconessos  then  residing  in  the  house.  No  vow 
is  taken,  but  she  engages  to  work  for  five  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  period  she  may  or  may  not  renew 
her  engagement.  She  may  return  home  at  any 
time,  or  is  free  to  marry. 

In  her  ministrations  she  is  the  assistant  of  the  doc- 
tor in  the  bodily  needs,  and  of  the  clergyman  in  the 
spiritual  needs  of  the  patient.  She  performs  her 
services  gratuitously,  and  is  provided  by  the  institu- 
tion with  food  and  clothing  and  a  small  sum  of  money 
for  the  purchase  of  needful  articles.  They  all  dress 
alike,  wearing  a  blue  dress  and  apron  and  a  white  cap 
and  collar.  They  may  not  accept  gifts  from  patients, 
but  when  unable  to  work,  and  without  means,  they 
are  supported  by  the  institution.  There  is  a  "  House 
of  Evening  Rest,"  where  they  may  retire  when  no 
longer  able  to  labor.  If  gifts  are  pressed  upon  thein 
by  grateful  patients  they  are  sent  to  the  institution  to 
be  placed  in  the  Sisters'  Box,  the  contents  of  which 
are  used  for  Christmas  presents  to  the  sisters  or  for 
journeys  to  benefit  their  health. 

Every  deaconess  retains  her  own  propert}^,  and  at 
death  it  goes  to  her  legal  heirs.  Slie  has  free  inter- 
course with  her  relations,  and  assumes  voluntarily  the 
work  assigned  her  by  the  "  mother-house."  In  case 
of  infectious  diseases  she  is  asked  whether  she  is  will- 
ing to  undertake  the  dangerous  Vv'ork.     No  instance 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiserswerth.         185 

of  refusal  has  jet  been  known.  No  deaconess  is  sent 
to  a  foreign  field  without  her  consent  and  the  consent 
of  lier  parents.* 

In  this  great  work  the  founder  seems  to  have  been 
governed  by  three  thoughts :  That  in  establishing  the 
order  of  deaconesses  he  was  restoring  to  the  Church 
something  which  existed  in  apostolic  times ;  that  the 
female  diaconate  is  required  in  these  days ;  and  that, 
in  order  to  efficiency,  the  deaconesses  must  be  trained. 
On  these  principles  he  proceeded.  While  all  the 
freedom  is  allowed  in  the  institution  which  an  en- 
lightened Protestant  mind  would  deem  essential  to 
right  and  happiness,  it  must  not  be  imagined  that 
there  is  any  laxity  in  discipline  or  g(>vernment. 
Thougli  there  are  no  vows,  obedience  to  the  heads  of 
departments  is  strictly  required. 

The  deaconesses  are  systematically  trained  for  their 
work.  Of  their  spiritual  or  religious  training  Dean 
Ilowson,  who  visited  the  institution  and  investigated 
for  himself,  thus  speaks  :  "  '  In  the  case,  for  instance, 
of  grievous  sickness,'  Dr.  Fliedner  said  to  us,  '  How, 
unless  she  is  instructed  and  prepared,  can  the  deacon- 
ess administer  at  night  those  spiritual  drops  which 
are  often  worth  more  than  a  wdiole  sermon  ? '  Though 
there  are  beautiful  liturgical  elements  in  the  public 
services  of  the  community,  the  prayers  used  by  the 
sisters  with  those  among  whom  the}^  minister  are  ex- 
temporaneous ;  and  for  these  prayers  they  are  taught 
*  Condensed  from  Mrs.  C.  M.  Mead,  and  other  sources. 


186        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modeen. 

that  tliej  must  prepare  themselves,  in  order  that  the 
words  may  be  suitable  to  each  special  case.  Hence  tlie 
importance  of  the  early  years  of  residence,  involving, 
as  they  do,  both  a  training  of  the  character  througli 
methodical  habits  and  opportunities  of  devotion,  and 
a  training  of  the  mind  by  a  methodical  course  of  re- 
ligious  teaching."  ^^ 

Besides  the  ordinary  specified  times  of  devotion, 
tliey  have  a  "  quiet  half  hour,"  wlien  all  who  are 
able  to  do  so  meet  in  the  chapel  for  meditation  and 
prayer  together  but  in  silence.  They  have  system- 
atic Bible  study.  The  Bible  is  classitied  and  arranged 
according  to  the  order  of  the  ecclesiastical  year,  and 
according  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  various  kinds 
of  characters.  The  close  and  discriminating  study 
of  the  Bible  is  a  distinguishing  characteristic  of 
the  institution.  There  are  three  Bible-classes  for 
the  deaconesses  held  on  week-days  and  one  on 
Sunday. 

'^  They  are  taught  not  only  to  know  the  Bible  them- 
selves, but  to  teach  it  to  others.  "What  text,  or  what 
hymn,  would  you  repeat  to  a  person  in  such  or  such 
a  state  of  mind  ?  What  passage  will  comfort  in  sucli 
a  bodily  condition?  What  Scripture  will  be  suitable 
in  this  or  that  time  of  joy?  of  trial?  of  spiritual 
need  ?  By  such  questions  as  these  the  sisters  are 
taught  to  administer  spiritual  truth."  f 

On  two  evenings  of  the  week  there  are  prayer- 
*  Deaconesses,  etc.,  p.  79.  f  Andover  Eevieiv,  1888,  p.  565. 


The  Deaconesses  of  KAisERswEian.        187 

meetings,  and  there  are  other  occasional  opportunities 
for  especial  religious  instruction. 

The  discipline,  mutual  prayer,  and  study  of  the 
word  result  in  a  remarkable  esprit  de  corjJS  among 
the  members  of  the  community  where  v^er  scattered. 
"  We  have  no  vows,"  said  Dr.  Fliedner,  ''  and  I  will 
have  no  vows ;  but  a  bond  of  union  we  must  have ; 
and  the  best  bond  is  the  word  of  God."  This  is 
realized  in  the  Bible  Manual,  which  is  used  by  the 
Kaiserswerth  Sisters  as  their  common  "  daily  food  " 
all  over  the  world.  "  And  our  second  bond,"  said  he, 
''  is  singing."  Kaiserswerth  has  its  own  Book  of  Sa- 
cred Song  to  aid  in  binding  together  those  whose  fields 
of  labor  are  widely  separated.  This  makes  a  strong 
bond  of  union  between  sympathetic  Christian  hearts. 
Beading  the  same  precious  promises,  singing  the  same 
hymns  of  praise,  meeting  each  other  at  the  throne  of 
grace,  often  at  the  same  hour,  and  engaged  in  the 
same  work  for  one  Master,  even  Christ,  forms  a  bond 
not  easily  broken. 

We  have  taken  the  institution  at  Kaiserswerth  as 
representative.  That  is  the  general  type  of  all  others, 
as  it  is  the  parent  institution.  Tliere  are  many  others 
on  the  Continent,  but  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  no- 
tice them  in  detail,  as  in  principle  and  practice  and 
in  the  end  sought  they  are  one,  though  they  differ  in 
detail  of  arrangement  and  management. 

There  is  one  fact  in  regard  to  the  institution  at 
Strasburg  which  is  worthy  of  notice.     In  the  Kaisers- 


ISS       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

wei'tli  establishment,  and  others,  chaplains  are  ap- 
pointed by  the  Church  or  government  and  have  the 
general  oversight  and  control.  At  Strasburg  the 
committee  is  a  more  prominent  feature  of  the 
system,  and  the  lady  at  the  head  of  the  deacon- 
esses, not  the  chaplain,  has  the  command  of  the  ex- 
ecutive. Many  of  the  deaconesses  belong  to  the 
higher  ranks  in  life.  This  arrangement,  we  believe, 
will  commend  itself  to  the  American  reader  as 
best  adapted  to  the  thought  and  tendency  of  our 
times. 

The  ordination  of  the  deaconess  at  Kaiserswerth 
and  Strasburg  takes  place  in  the  chapel  of  the  in- 
stitution, and  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  with  this 
difference  :  that  in  the  latter  the  two  eldest  sisters 
take  ^art  in  this  act.  What  led  to  this  practice 
we  do  not  know,  but  the  matter  was  discussed  at  a 
conference  held  at  Kaiserswerth  some  years  ago,  and 
it  was  given  as  the  opinion  of  the  conference  that 
it  was  without  precedent  in  Scripture  or  the  early 
Church. 

Having  given,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  form 
for  the  ordination  of  a  deaconess  in  the  ancient 
Church,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  give  one  as  used  in 
modern  times.  Kaiserswerth  ha  vine:  sent  forth  more 
deaconesses  than  any  other  institution,  we  have  select- 
ed the  form  used  there,  which  is  a  fair  type  of  those 
used  in  other  churches,  and  which,  in  part,  were  taken 
from  it : 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaisekswerth.        189 
Service  for  the  Ordination  of  Deaconesses, 

AS   USED  AT  KaISERSWERTH,  PRUSSIA. 

HYMN. 

0,  glorious  Prince  of  Life,  defend 
Thy  poor  house  here  on  earth ;  extend 
To  it  thy  sliieldiiig  care,  aud  deign 
That  here  be  never  done  in  vain 
The  smallest  work  of  love  ;  and  fill 
Each  soul  with  strength  to  do  thy  will. 

And  0,  let  Marj-'s  spirit  blest 

Alike  on  every  Sister  rest, 

That  they  in  hope,  through  grief  and  pain, 

May  bear  thy  yoke  and  count  it  gain; 

And  if  oppressive  it  should  be. 

Say  to  their  hearts,  "Come,  follow  Me; 

For  I  am  with  thee — I  am  He 
"Who  bore  the  Cross  on  Calvary." 
Then  with  fresh  courage  we'll  arise, 
Pursue  our  journey  to  the  skies, 
Fight  for  the  home  we  have  in  view, 
And,  following  thee,  our  foes  subdue. 

As  thou  thyself,  in  days  gone  by, 
Supported  uncomplainingly, 
In  silence  and  in  gentleness, 
And  in  a  spirit  full  of  peace. 
For  us  the  yoke  of  love — impart. 
We  pray  thee,  Lord,  to  every  heart, 

That  peace  which  worketh  full  of  love 
And  wearies  not:  grant  this,  to  prove 
That  thou  art  in  us  and  that  we 
Even  on  earth  are  still  with  thee. 
0  Lord,  our  Saviour  and  Defense, 
We  seek  no  earthly  recompense. 
13 


190        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Bui  be  our  home  thy  mercy-seat, 
And  we  shall  tread  with  willing  feet 
Our  pathway  here,  and,  striving  still 
Our  lowly  duties  to  fulfill, 
Stand  waiting  for  that  harvest  bright 
Reserved  for  those  who  walk  in  ligliL. 

ADDRESS. 

We  are  to-day  assembled  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord 
to  celebrate  a  holy  solemnity,  to  make  a  solemn  but 
joyful  covenant.  In  order  fully  to  understand  the 
deep  meaning  of  this  ceremony,  let  us  imagine  our- 
selves standing  amongst  the  first  members  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  at  Jei'usalem — that  model  of  all 
Christian  churches  upon  earth — just  founded  by  the 
apostles,  walking  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  and  filled 
with  the  consolation  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Here,  in  this  newly  planted  garden  of  the  Lord, 
when  the  number  of  the  disciples  was  multiplied,  were 
felt  those  wants  and  weaknesses  which  exist  everj'- 
where  on  earth.  There  were  widows  and  orphans, 
poor  and  sick  members,  who  required  daily  assistance, 
but  whose  needs  were  overlooked  for  want  of  regular 
care.  Then  the  twelve  called  together  the  multitude 
of  the  disciples  and  commanded  them  to  choose  out 
seven  men  of  good  report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
of  wisdom,  to  assist  the  widows  and  orphans,  to  take 
care  of  the  sick  and  poor,  as  servants  of  the  Church, 
or  deacons.  They  then  prayed,  and  laid  their 
hands  on  them,  and  ordained  them  to  the  office  of 
deacons. 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiserswerth.       191 

Not  long  after,  the  Church  in  like  manner  ap- 
pointed female  assistants  to  provide  for  the  wants  of 
the  sick  and  the  poor,  as  servants  of  the  Church,  or 
deaconesses.  The  apostle  speaks  with  praise  of 
Phebe  as  of  one  in  the  service  of  the  Corinthian 
clmrch,  wlio  had  been  a  succorer  of  manj^,  and  of 
himself  also.     Rom.  xvi,  1. 

These  deaconesses  labored  after  the  apostolic  times 
for  many  centuries  profitably  in  the  Church  of  Christ. 
Their  charity  embraced  the  poor,  the  sick,  prisoners, 
and  children  ;  and  in  the  fourth  century  forty  were 
active  in  the  church  at  Constantinople. 

To-day  these  seven  women  before  us  desire  to  be  ap- 
pointed to  a  similar  work  of  love  in  the  service  of  the 
Church  as  those  forty — as  Phebe  in  Cenchrea,  as  the 
seven  deacons  in  Jerusalem.  They  are  of  good  re- 
port, as  those  deacons  ;  they  have  prayed  for  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  the  wisdom  from  above  (Acts  vi,  3) ;  they 
hold  the  mystery  of  the  faith  in  a  pure  conscience 
(1  Tim.  iii,  9) ;  for,  feeling  their  own  impurity  and  sin- 
fulness, they  have  turned  with  penitence  to  the  Sav- 
iour of  sinners,  and  he  has  made  known  to  them  the 
covenant  of  grace  and  purified  their  hearts  by  faith. 
They  have  also  been  proved,  as  St.  Paul  required  of 
the  deacons  (1  Tim.  iii,  10)  ;  they  have  gone  through 
a  long  period  of  probation,  that  we  mighfc  see  whether 
they  were  skillful  and  unblamable  in  the  service  of  the 
sick  and  poor  (1  Tim.  iii,  10) ;  they  have,  under  the 
direction  of  the  superior  and  the  physician,  exercised 


192        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

themselves  in  tlie  bodily  care  of  the  sick  and  poor, 
whose  servants  tliey  are  to  be ;  and  under  the  direction 
of  the  clergyman  learned  to  satisfy  the  spiritual  wants 
of  those  under  their  care,  as  far  as  is  consistent  with 
their  office.  AVlienever  they  could  they  have  relieved 
the  afflicted  and  miserable,  and  have  diligently  fol- 
lowed every  good  work.     1  Tim.  v,  10. 

Having  been  found  worthy  to  fulfill  the  duties  of 
deaconess,  we  will  to  day,  in  the  name  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,  admit  them  to  this  office. 

But  it  is  fitting,  my  dear  sisters,  that  here,  in  the 
presence  of  God  and  this  congregation,  the  duties  to 
which  you  are  about  to  devote  yourselves  should  again 
be  laid  before  you. 

You  are  to  be  servants  of  the  Church  of  God,  as 
deaconesses,  especially  as  ministers  of  her  sick  and 
poor,  but  also,  if  need  be,  of  prisoners  and  destitute 
children  ;  it  will  therefore  be  your  duty,  according  as 
you  shall  be  specially  directed,  to  serve  in  a  threefold 
capacity,  as 

1.  Servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

2.  Servants  of  the  sick  and  poor  for  Jesus'  sake. 

3.  Servants  one  to  another. 

First,  as  servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  You  are  not 
only  bound,  as  every  Christian,  to  live  to  the  honor 
of  God,  but  you  have  also  made  it  the  special  object 
of  your  life  to  serve  him  with  all  your  powers  in  the 
sick  and  weak  members  of  his  body.  You  are 
therefore  so  much  the  more  bound  to  die  to  all  the 


The  Deacoi^esses  of  Kaisekswerth.        193 

pleasures,  lienors,  riches,  and  joys  of  the  world  ;  to 
seek  your  joy  in  this  service  of  love  through  grati- 
tude to  Him  who  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  serv- 
ant and  suffered  death  for  you,  even  the  death  of  the 
cross. 

You  are  not  to  seek  for  abundant  earthly  reward 
in  this  service :  if  you  have  food  and  raiment  you 
must  be  therewith  content. 

You  must  not  seek  honor  from  man ;  you  must  go 
forth  unto  Jesus,  bearing  his  reproach. 

You  must  not  seek  earthly  pleasure  and  ease ;  you 
must  deny  yourselves,  and  take  up  your  cross  daily 
and  follow  him. 

What  an  honor  is  yours  !  You  are  to  minister  to 
him  whom  it  is  the  highest  honor  of  the  holy  angels 
to  serve — the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords — to 
serve  him  as  his  handmaid,  to  wait  upon  him  in  his 
members. 

As  Mary  of  Bethany  had  always  before  her  eyes 
the  one  thing  needful,  and  therefore  rejoiced  to  sit  at 
Jesus's  feet,  but  was  also  ready,  when  it  was  permitted 
her,  to  wait  upon  and  to  anoint  him,  as  she  did  not 
shrink  from  expense,  trouble,  or  the  derision  of  men, 
so  must  you  always  desire,  on  the  one  hand,  to  hear 
Jesus,  and  on  the  other  to  serve  him  with  a  love  which 
"  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all 
things,  endureth  all  things."  Then  will  his  glorious 
promises  be  yours.  He  will  say  to  you,  "  I  was  naked 
and  ye  clothed  me ;  I  was  sick  and  ye  visited  me ;  I 


19i       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

was  in  prison  and  ye  came  unto  me."  "  Wlioso  re- 
ceiveth  a  little  cliild  in  my  name  receivetli  me." 
"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  king- 
dom prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."     St.  Matt,  xxv,  36,  34. 

Secondly,  as  servants  of  the  sick  and  poor,  for 
Jesus's  sake.  As  St.  Paul  made  himself  servant  unto 
all  that  he  might  gain  the  more,  so  must  you  be 
especially  servants  of  the  sick  and  poor,  not  to  obtam 
praise  from  them,  but  out  of  love  and  submission  to 
the  Lord,  whose  representatives  you  are. 

Therefore  you  must  not  serve  them  with  such  in- 
dulgence as  might  strengthen  their  perverse  will,  but 
always  with  the  holy  zeal  of  parental  affection,  striv- 
ino^  to  win  their  souls  for  the  Lord. 

Thirdly,  as  servants  one  to  another.  It  is  your 
duty,  my  sisters,  when  several  of  you  are  working  to- 
gether, to  show  that  love  which  leads  us  in  lowliness 
of  mind  to  esteem  others  better  than  ourselves. 
Phil,  ii,  3.  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you, 
let  her  be  the  servant  of  all.  If  you  are  one  by  a 
living  faith  in  our  common  Lord  and  Saviour,  you 
are  more  nearly  related  to  one  another  than  if  you 
were  united  by  the  closest  ties  of  blood.  You  are 
acknowledged  daughters  by  the  great  High-priest, 
who  says  to  you  :  "  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that 
ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  love  another."  St.  John 
xiii,  35. 

As  such  Christian  servants,  it  is  your  duty, 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiserswertii.       195 

Finally,  witli  childlike  obedience  to  respect  the  au- 
thority of  the  superiors  of  the  deaconess  institution, , 
who  are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and  labor  among  you 
with  parental  love. 

In  the  presence  of  God  and  this  congregation,  I 
now  demand  of  you,  Are  you  determined  faithfully 
to  fulfill  these  duties  belonging  to  the  office  of  a 
deaconess,  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  according  to  his 
huly  word  ? 

^Answer,  Yes. 

May  Jesus  Christ,  the  Chief  Shepherd  and  Bishop 
of  your  souls,  seal  your  profession  and  vow  with  his 
Yea  and  Au^en,  and  own  you  forever  as  his.     Amen. 

Draw  near,  and  give  me  and  the  superior  your 
hands  in  conlirmation  of  your  promise. 

^  IT?) eel  down."^ 

The  triune  God,  God  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost,  bless  you,  a!id  make  you  faithful  unto  death, 
and  give  unto  you  the  crown  of  everlasting  life. 
Amen. 

Let  us  who  are  here  assembled,  and  desire  for  these 
deaconesses  salvation  and  blessing,  pra}^  for  them. 
"  O  come,  let  ns  worship  and  fall  down,  and  kneel 
before  the  Lord  our  Maker." 

Tf  The  congregation  Jcneel. 

*  The  deaconesses  are  ordaiDed  with  imposition  of  hands. 


196        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Father  of  mercy,  who  hath  led  these  thy  servants 
to  thy  Son,  so  that  they  have  given  themselves  up 
to  him  for  his  own  possession,  and  desire  to  serve 
him  with  all  the  powers  of  their  body  and  soul  in  ad- 
ministering to  the  sick  and  poor;  we  humbly  be- 
seech thee,  be  merciful  unto  them  and  direct  their 
hearts  into  thy  love,  and  into  the  patient  waiting  for 
Christ,  that  they  may  live  and  work  in  thee  and  J*e- 
joice  in  tliy  favor  always. 

O  Lord  Jesus,  thou  merciful  High-priest,  who  hast 
purchased  these  souls  with  thy  blood,  thine  they  are; 
they  have  devoted  themselves  to  thy  service.  En- 
lighten them  with  the  bright  beams  of  thy  truth, 
strengthen  the  weak  by  thy  power,  and  give  them  an 
abundant  measure  of  thy  meekness  and  humility, 
that  they  may  acknowledge  themselves  unprofitable 
servants  before  thee,  and  desire  to  be  and  do  nothing 
of  themselves,  but  only  to  the  honor  of  thy  glorious 
name. 

O  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  thou  Spirit  of  peace,  replen- 
ish tliem  with  thy  peace,  that  they,  as  thy  messen- 
gers, may  bring  peace  to  the  homes  and  families  of 
the  sick,  and  the  circle  of  sisters ;  grant  that  they 
may  be  ever  adorned  "  with  the  ornament  of  a  meek 
and  quiet  spirit,"  and  may  be  so  governed  by  the 
spirit  of  obedience  toward  all  their  superiors,  feel- 
ing that  in  performing  their  commands  they  are 
obeying  thee.  Heb.  xiii,  17;  1  St.  Pet.  ii.  13;  1  Cor. 
xiv,  34. 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaiseeswektii.        197 

Grant  them  to  know,  O  triune  God,  that  they  serve 
thee,  and  not  man.  Pour  out  thy  peace  upon  them 
like  a  river.  Isa.  xlviii,  18.  Let  thy  free  Spirit  sus- 
tain them,  that  they  may  always  feel  tliat  it  is  good 
for  them  to  be  in  thy  service,  and  that  godliness  hath 
the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is  and  of  that  which 
is  to  come. 

And  when  duty  calls  them  afar  off,  go  thou  with 
them,  as  thou  didst  with  Jacob.  Keep  them  by  thine 
angels  in  all  their  ways,  lest  at  any  time  they  dash 
their  feet  against  a  stone  ;  lead  them  with  thy  fa- 
therly hand,  guard  them  by  thy  watchful  eye,  that 
when  they  walk  through  the  dark  valley  they  may 
not  fear,  and  in  the  hour  of  death  clothe  them  with 
the  white  garments  of  thy  righteousness  (Rev.  iii,  5), 
and  give  them  palms  of  victory  in  their  hands  (Rev. 
vii,  9),  and  grant  unto  them  the  crown  of  life.  Rev. 
ii,  10.     Amen,  Amen. 

Hymn  II. 

BEFORE  THE  CELEBRATJOX  OF  THE  HOLY  COMMUNION'. 

Lord,  let  them  of  those  five  be  found 
Who,  when  they  hear  the  joyful  sound 

Of  thy  return,  shall  bear 
Their  shining  lamps,  and  on  that  morn 
To  greet  thy  second  advent's  dawn 

With  joyful  hearts  prepare. 

0  Lord,  we  make  our  prayer  to  thee, 
That  failh,  and  hope,  and  charity 
May  all  their  hearts  inspire. 


198        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

0  thou,  of  every  light  most  bright, 
Before  whom  darkness  turns  to  hght, 
Quicken  each  good  desire. 


Preserve  their  souls  in  faithfulness, 
Come  quickly,  heal,  renew,  and  bless. 

Grant  that  each  hour  may  be 
So  counted,  blessed  Lord,  as  thine, 
That  some  good  deed  in  each  may  shine, 

Each  day  be  given  to  thee. 

Exhortation. 

Ye  have  now  entered  as  servants  of  Christ  into  his 
vineyard ;  to  jou  is  intrnsted  the  joyful  duty  of  min- 
istering to  your  Saviour  in  his  sick  and  weak  mem- 
bers. Arise,  then,  arise,  my  sisters,  gird  yourselves 
as  the  wise  virgins  for  his  service.  Behold,  the  Bride- 
groom Cometh ;  go  ye  out  to  meet  him,  with  your 
lamps  in  your  hands.  '  He  standeth  at  the  door,  and 
knocketh ;  in  the  form,  indeed,  of  a  servant,  in  the 
sick  and  miserable  around  you.  Open  then  unto  him 
(Rev.  iii,  19),  feed  him  in  the  hungry,  clothe  him  in 
the  naked  (St.  Matt,  xxv,  40),  receive  him  in  his  little 
ones  (St.  Matt,  xviii,  5),  visit  him  in  the  prisoners, 
bind  up  liis  wounds  in  the  sick,  and  accompany  him 
in  the  dead  to  his  last  resting-place. 

Yours  is  a  blessed  office,  but  also  beset  with  difficul- 
ties. How  soon  will  the  hands  become  weary  and  the 
knees  feeble.  Isa.  xxxv,  3.  Yet,  thanks  be  to  God, 
ye  know  the  Bridegroom  of  your  souls  when  he  comes 
to  you  in  other  form  than  that  of  a  servant ;  ye  know 


The  Deaconesses  of  Kaisersweeth.       199 

him  as  the  Lord  of  Glory,  who  anoints  Avitli  tlie  oil 
of  gladness  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  Therefore  have  ye 
desired  this  feast  of  mercy.  Ye  say,  I  have  need  to 
be  fed  of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me  ? 

And  lo,  he  is  here,  the  King  of  Glory,  and  saith, 
"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  refresh  you."  Then  he,  the  Bridegroom, 
standeth  in  glorious  majesty.  He  desires  to  adorn 
you  with  his  wedding  garment — to  give  you  himself, 
and  all  his  divine  power,  in  the  communion  of  his 
body  and  blood ;  and  ye  have  well  done  that  ye  are 
come.  All  things  are  ready.  Open,  then,  your  hands, 
your  mouth,  your  heart,  and  receive  of  his  fullness, 
grace  for  grace.  St.  John  i,  16.  Yea,  taste  and  see 
how  gracious  the  Lord  is.  Blessed  is  the  man  that 
trustetli  in  him. 

During  the  administration  is  sung: 

O  Christ,  thou  Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the 
sins  of  the  world :  have  mercy  upon  us.  O  Christ, 
thou  Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins  of  the 
world :  have  mercy  upon  us.  O  Christ,  thou  Lamb 
of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins  of  the  world  :  grant 
us  thy  peace.     Amen. 

The   Thanksgiving. 

CONCLUDING   HYMN. 

Source  of  all  bliss  and  joy  divine, 
My  deepest  love,  0  Lord,  is  thine. 
To  feed,  to  clothe,  to  solace  thee, 
0  Saviour,  this  is  granted  me. 


200        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modekn. 

When  in  true  thankful  love  we  bear 
The  poor  man's  burden,  grief  and  care, 
These  words  to  us  are  sent  from  thee, 
Come,  0  ye  blessed,  unto  me. 

All  those  who  little  children  love, 
"Whose  tender  Iiearts  with  pity  move 
For  ev'ry  sufferer  here  below, 
For  the  lone  captives  in  their  woe ; 

Those  who  behold  the  p-^or's  sad  tears, 
And  still  their  weeping  and  their  fears. 
To  them  a  bright  reward  thou'lt  be, 
A  shield,  a  guard,  a  panoply. 

With  heavenly  fire  then  fill  each  heart 
0  Jesus,  and  to  us  impart 
Still  more  of  love,  until  it  be 
Our  highest,  chief  felicit3^ 
On  earth  to  minister  to  thee. 

Then  the  blessing  is  snng : 

The  grace  of  onr  Lord  Jesns  Clirist  and  the  love  of 
onr  God,  and  the  fellowshijD  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be 
with  ns  all.     Amen.  ^ 

*  This  ordination  service  is  taken  from  Sisterhoods  and  Deaconesses, 
by  Rev.  H.  C.  Potler,  D.D. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  201 


CHAFTEK   XIII. 

'       DEACONESSES  IN   ENGLAND. 

Among  the  earliest  efforts  made  for  the  restoration 
of  the  order  of  deaconesses,  after  the  Keformation, 
were  those  of  the  Puritans  of  England.  We  get  some 
glimpses  of  the  subject  in  the  history  of  those  times. 
The  learned  divine,  Thomas  Cartwright,  in  a  contro- 
versy with  Archbishop  Whitgift,  contends  that  in 
the  early  Church  there  were  "  two  kinds  of  deacons," 
some  of  whom  had  charge  of  the  "poor  strangers, 
and  the  poor  who  were  sick."  And  "  those,"  he  says, 
"  St.  Paul  calleth  in  one  place  (Rom.  xvi,  1)  deacon- 
esses^ and  in  another  place  (1  Tim.  v,  10)  '  widows.' " 
On  these  passages  he  offers  this  comment :  "  As  there 
are  poor  which  are  sick  in  every  church,  I  do  not 
see  how  a  better  and  more  convenient  order  can 
be  devised  for  the  attendance  of  them,  on  their  sick- 
ness and  other  infirmities,  than  this  which  St.  Paul 
appointeth." 

We  need  not  be  surprised  at  finding  these  early  al- 
lusions to  the  female  diaconate  among  the  English 
Puritans.  They  were  closely  allied  in  thought  and 
principle  to  the  Protestants  of  the  Low  Countries, 
and  many  from  England  sought  refuge  among  them. 


202       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

The  congregation  in  Wesel,  on  the  Lower  Ehine,  em- 
ployed deaconesses  as  a  part  of  the  regular  Church 
organization,  from  1575  to  1610.  In  the  same  year, 
1575,  as  appears  by  the  following  extract  from  the 
*'  Conclusions  "  drawn  up  by  Cartwright  and  Travers, 
this  regulation  was  passed  by  an  assembly  of  sixty 
ministers  of  the  Eastern  Counties  of  England,  and  re- 
mitted for  their  direction  to  their  several  parishes  : 
"  Touching  deacons  of  both  sorts,  namely,  wen  and 
women,  the  Church  shall  be  admonished  what  is  re- 
quired by  the  apostle;  and  that  they  are  not  to 
choose  men  of  custom  or  course  for  their  riches,  but 
for  their  faith,  zeal,  and  integrity;  and  that  the 
Church  is  to  pray  in  the  meantime  to  be  so  directed 
that  they  may  choose  them  that  are  meet.  Let  the 
names  of  those  who  are  thus  chosen  be  published  the 
next  Lord's  day,  and  after  that,  their  duties  to  the 
Church,  and  the  Church's  duty  toward  them  ;  then 
let  them  be  received  into  their  office  w^ith  the  general 
prayers  of  the  whole  Church."  *  This  was  an  attempt 
to  revive  the  diaconate  in  a  scriptural  form,  deacons 
of  both  serfs,  men  and  women.  After  admonition  by 
those  in  authority,  of  the  kind  of  person  required  by 
the  apostle  (1  Tim.  iii) ;  after  prayer  for  the  direction 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Church  w^as  to  choose  them 
tliat  were  meet  (Acts  vi),  and  these  were  to  be  in- 
ducted into  office  with  the  prayers  of  the  entire  con- 
gregation. 

*  NeaFs  Hist  of  the  Puritans^  vol.  i,  c.  vi. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  203 

The  Puritans  carried  their  ideas  into  Holland, 
whither  thej  were  driven  by  persecution,  having  by 
the  Reformation  escaped  the  intolerance  of  Home 
only  to  fall  under  that  of  the  Chnrch  of  England  in 
the  time  of  Henry  the  Eighth  and  Queen  Elizabeth. 
"We  have  the  following  description  of  the  Church  of 
the  English  Puritans  in  Amsterdam  in  a  work  by 
Governor  Bradford,  entitled,  A  Dialogue  or  the  Sum 
of  a  Conference  hetiveen  Some  Young  Men^  Born  in 
Nexo  England^  and  Sundry  Ancient  Men,  that  Came 
out  of  Holland  and  Old  England:  * 

"  Young  3fen.  But  before  we  end  this  matter  we 
desire  yon  would  say  something  of  those  two  Churches 
that  were  so  long  in  exile,  of  whose  guides  w^e  have 
already  heard. 

"  Ancient  Men.  At  Amsterdam,  before  their  divis- 
ion and  breach,  they  were  about  three  hundred  commu- 
nicants, and  they  had  for  their  pastor  and  teacher  those 
two  eminent  men  before  named  (Smith  and  Robin- 
son), and  in  our  time  fonr  grave  men  for  ruling  elders, 
and  three  able  and  godly  men  for  deacons,  one  ancient 
widow  for  a  deaconess  who  did  them  much  service 
for  many  years,  thongh  she  was  sixty  years  of  age 
when  chosen.  She  honored  her  place,  and  was  an  or- 
nament to  the  congregation.  She  usually  sat  in  a 
convenient  place  in  the  congregation,  with  a  little 
birchen  rod  in  her  hand,  and  kept  little  children  in 
great   awe  from  disturbing  the  congregation.      She 

*  Written  in  1648. 


204:        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

did  frequently  visit  tlie  sick  and  weak,  especially 
women,  and  as  there  was  need  called  out  maids  and 
young  women  to  watcli  and  do  them  other  helps  as 
their  necessity  did  require  ;  and  if  they  were  poor 
she  would  gather  relief  for  them  of  those  who  were 
able,  or  acquaint  the  deacons,  and  she  was  obeyed  as 
a  mother  in  Israel  and  an  officer  of  Christ."  ^ 

All  efforts  made  to  restore  the  order  of  deaconesses 
prior  to  the  nineteenth  century,  though  accomplishing 
some  good,  gave  it  no  permanency.  Prejudices  against 
female  ordination  or  appointment  to  specific  religious 
functions  were  too  strong,  and  the  supposed  resem- 
blance of  the  female  diaconate  to  the  institutions  of 
popery  prevented  its  establishment.  We  must  not 
suppose  that  the  Church  did  none  of  the  work  which 
deaconesses  were  assigned  to  do.  ]^o  century  of  the 
Christian  era  ever  did  so  much  to  mitigate  human 
suffering  or  elevate  mankind  as  the  past  century, 
l^either  must  we  suppose  that  individual  Protestant 
women  have  not  made  themselves  felt  in  the  distinc- 
tive fields  generally  allotted  to  deaconesses.  They 
have  done  much,  but  without  organization  or  recog- 
nition by  the  Church.  The  Christian  impulse  has 
sent  them  forth  to  comfort  the  afflicted,  teach  the  ig- 
norant, and  raise  the  fallen. 

Elizabeth  Fry,  whose  name  will  never  be  forgotten, 
was  a  deaconess  indeed,  in  spirit  and  labor,  recog- 
nized by  Christ  and  the  world.     She  bore  not  the 

*  Young's  Chronicles  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  p.  455. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  205 

name,  but  to  tlie  poor,  the  suffering,  the  prisoner,  she 
performed  the  offices.  The  earlj  deaconesses  visited 
the  prisoners,  and  preached  to  them  the  word  of  life. 
So  did  Elizabeth  Fry.  She  was  pre-eminently  the 
prisoners  friend,  a  noble,  godly  woman,  a  Christian 
philiintliropist,  an  honor  to  her  sex,  and  a  benefactor 
to  her  race.  The  poet  might  have  said  of  her  as 
truthfully  as  of  Howard  : 

"  The  spirits  of  the  just, 
When  first  arrayed  in  Virtue's  purest  robe 
They  saw  Am,  Howard,  traversing  the  globe, 
Mistook  a  mortal  for  an  angel  guest,  ' 

And  asked  what  seraph  foot  the  earth  impressed. 
Onward  he  moves  ;  disease  and  death  retire, 
And  murmuring  demons  hate  him  and  admire." 

Mary  Fletcher  among  tlie  Methodists,  and  Hannah 
More  among  the  Episcopalians,  were  pioneers  in  house- 
to-house  visitation,  in  the  establishment  of  schools  for 
the  education  of  the  lower  classes,  and  in  imparting 
relimous  knowledo^e.  This  is  kindred  work  to  that 
done  by  deaconesses,  though  the  title  was  not  worn 
by  them. 

Germany  was  indebted  to  England  for  the  initial 

impulse  given    Fliedner's  work   through   Mrs.   Fry, 

whose  labors  among  female  convicts  revealed  to  the 

German  pastor  the  needs  of  his  own  countrywomen 

of  the  same  class,   and  suggested  the  possibility  of 

reforming  the  characters  of  many,  and  lessening  the 

sorrows  of  all.     She  has  paid  her  indebtedness  with 

large  interest  by  giving  back  to  England  the  train- 
14 


206        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

ing,  experience,  and  principles  of  her  institutions,  in 
the  persons  of  Florence  IS'ightingale  and  Agnes 
Jones,  whose  names  will  add  luster  to  England's  phi- 
lantliropy  as  long  as  her  history  is  know^n. 

From  childhood  Florence  Nightingale  had  known 
something  of  Fliedner's  work,  by  one  of  his  reports 
which  had  by  chance  fallen  into  her  hands.  Grand 
results  are  often  born  of  trivial  circumstances — inci- 
dents insignificant  in  themselves,  but  behind  which  is 
a  providence  guided  by  Infinite  Wisdom.  From  that 
time  she  longed  to  fit  herself  for  a  nurse.  In  1851 
she  went  to  Kaiserswerth  for  the  first  time.  She 
twice  became  an  inmate  of  the  institution,  and  hav- 
ing received  its  training  went  forth  upon  her  benefi- 
cent career.  She  brought  to  her  work  great  nobility 
of  character,  social  influence,  intellectual  ability,  a 
genius  for  organization  and  execution  of  plans,  and  a 
heart  in  full  sympathy  with  liuman  suffering.  At 
the  time  of  the  Crimean  War,  with  a  small  band  of 
nurses,  she  went  to  Turkey  and  the  Crimea,  and 
effected  a  reformation  in  the  sanitary  condition  of  the 
British  army.  She  worked  with  a  devotion,  endur- 
ance and  success,  that  won  the  admiration  of  the 
Christian  world.  In  connection  with  reports  on  the 
sanitary  condition  of  the  army  in  India,  she  contrib- 
uted some  of  the  most  remarkable  and  valuable  pub- 
lic papers  ever  written.  Her  actual  work  among  the 
sick  is  but  a  small  part  of  what  she  has  done.  The 
influence   of   her   example,   her   voice,   and   pen,  in 


Deaconesses  in  England.  207 

arousing  the  English  people,  cannot  be  overestimated. 
The  noble  work  which  she  inaugurated  is  still  going 
on,  in  the  institute  for  training,  sustenance,  and  pro- 
tection of  nurses  and  hospital  attendants,  raised  to 
testify  a  nation's  gratitude  and  obligation  to  her  per- 
severing industry  and  untiring  energy. 

In  this  connection  we  mention  one  more  of  En- 
gland's reiined  and  wealthy  daughters,  wlio  obtained 
her  training  at  Kaiserswerth,  then  returned  home  to 
perform  such  labors,  and  wield  such  an  influence,  as 
have  made  her  name  imuiortal;  and  finally,  to  lay 
down  lier  life  for  the  welfare  of  others.  Slie  died  a 
martyr  to  lier  zeal  in  the  cause  of  suffering  human- 
ity. We  have  reference  to  Agnes  Jones,  whom  Flor- 
ence Nightingale  has  styled  "the  pioneer  of  work- 
house nursing."  She  was  a  devoted  young  lady  of 
Christ-like  spirit,  whose  chief  joy  was  in  mitigating 
the  sorrows  and  miseries  of  the  poor. 

A  few  lines  from  her  journal  will  show  the  spirit 
with  which  she  sought  the  deaconess  institution. 
"  When,  this  time  two  years  ago,  I  left  Kaiserswerth 
my  wish  and  prayer  were  that  I  might  sometime 
return  there  to  be  fitted  and  trained  for  active  work 
in  my  Master's  service.  How  often  since  have  that 
wish  and  prayer  been  breathed  !  " 

Her  prayer  was  answered.  She  returned  and  la- 
bored side  by  side  with  other  deaconesses,  doing  the 
most  menial  offices.  She  afterward  spent  one  year  in 
a  hospital  under  the  direction  of  Miss  Nightingale  to 


208       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

prepare  herself  to  take  charge  of  the  nurses  in  the 
Liverpool  workhouse. 

Three  years  were  passed  in  this  position,  winning 
the  love  of  the  poor  sufferers,  who  spoke  of  her  as 
"  the  lady  ; "  leading  many  of  them  to  Christ.  Then 
the  Master-  called  her  from  labor  to  reward.  An 
infectious  fever,  contracted  in  the  discharge  of  duty, 
was  the  messenger  he  sent.  A  nurse  bending  over 
her,  as  the  final  scene  w'as  drawing  to  a  close,  witness- 
ing her  sufferings,  said,  "  Yon  w^ill  soon  be  with 
Jesus"  ''  I  shall  be  better  there,"  she  answered  ;  and 
with  the  words  her  soul  went  home  to  eternal  felicity. 

The  labors  of  these  two  women  taught  the  English 
people  the  necessity  and  importance  of  special  train- 
ing for  that  kind  of  work,  and  their  devotion  was  an 
inspiration.  The  deaconess  w^ork  received  a  new 
impetus.  This  could  not  be  otherwise  when  those 
engaged  in  it  "recorded  the  death  of  one  of  their 
bravest  and  best,  and  turned  their  'in  memoriam' 
into  a  battle-cry  to  call  more  laborers  into  the  vine- 
yard, closing  their  notice  of  her  life  wnth  the  appeal : 

"  '  The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war  ; 
Who  follows  in  his  train  ? ' 

O  daughters  of  God,  are  there  so  few  to  answer?"  * 
Much  of  this  labor  is  done  in  England  by  the  vari- 
ous sisterhoods  that  have  some  connection  with  the 
Anglican  Church ;  many  of  them  are  presided  over 
by  clergymen,  and  are  under  the  supervision  of  the 

*  Una  and  her  Paupers. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  209 

bishop  within  whose  diocese  they  are  located.  Their 
exact  relation  to  the  Church  is  not  defined,  and  is  a 
matter  of  controversy  among  themselves.  The  first 
of  these  was  founded  in  1847,  by  Dr.  Pusey,  at  Park 
Village,  Kegent's  Park,  and  was  formed  of  a  small 
body  of  women  desirous  of  living  together  under 
religious  rule.  The  next  was  formed  by  Miss  Lydia 
Sellon  at  Plymouth.  This  institution  became  notori- 
ous for  its  Romish  practices,  and  called  forth  many 
severe  criticisms  by  its  absurd  and  cruel  penances. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  impulses  of  piety  and  charity 
led  to  its  foundation,  and  many  acts  of  devotion  and 
self-sacrifice  to  the  cause  of  God  and  humanity  charac- 
terized the  "  sisters."  But  in  a  very  short  time  the 
whole  spirit  and  tendency  of  the  institution  were  Pom- 
ish.  The  outward  symbols  and  practices  were  of  such 
character  as  to  justify  the  criticisms  passed  upon  it. 

In  England  the  terms  "  sister  "  and  "  deaconess " 
are  not  quite  synonymous,  as  they  are  in  Protestant 
countries  on  the  Continent.  The  Protestant  "  sisters  " 
of  England  are  never  called  '^  deaconesses  "  although 
the  converse  is  sometimes  true.  The  term  deaconess 
is  never  applied  but  to  those  who  render  spiritual  as 
well  as  temporal  aid. 

To  show  briefly  the  attitude  of  these  sisterhoods 
toward  the  Church,  and  their  positive  tendency  to 
Pomanism,  we  quote  a  paragraph  from  a  recent 
writer :  "  Of  English  sisterhoods  Perry's  History 
of  the  English  Church  says :  '  There  are  now  (1886) 


210        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modeen. 


twenty-four  sisterhoods  of  religions  communities, 
njost  of  them  with  many  branches  for  carrying  on 
religious  work.'  They  do  many  deeds  of  beneficence, 
yet  they  are  looked  upon  with  distrust  by  numbers 
even  in  the  Anglican  Church  itself.  And  this  can- 
not cause  surprise  when  it  is  known  that  penance, 
confession,  and  the  taking  of  the  three  vows  are  not 
only  allowed,  but  also  advocated  by  many,  if  not  most 
of  them.  ...  It  was  a  healthy  Christian  spirit 
which  prompted  Agnes  Jones  to  say :  '  I  have  no 
sympathy  with  the  High  Church  party,  and  so 
should  not  enter  a  sisterhood  even  were  I  free  .  .  . 
from  home  ties.'  And  again,  when  Miss  Nightingale 
urged  her  to  take  a  year's  training  in  a  London  hos- 
pital, she  wrote,  in  regard  to  going,  to  one  of  two 
which  had  been  suggested :  '  If  ever  I  contemplated 
the  first  ...  it  was  at  an  end  when  I  found  I  must 
become  a  sister  to  do  so.'  "  ^ 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  sisterhoods  are  far 
more  popular  in  England  than  the  deaconess  institu- 
tions, and  this  shows  the  tendencies  of  the  Church 
toward  the  principles  and  practices  of  Romanism.  The 
sisterhood  itself  is  sought,  and  not  the  work  that  can 
be  accomplished  by  the  organization.  "  The  sister- 
hood exists  primarily  for  the  sake  of  forming  a  relig- 
ious connnunity,  but  deaconesses  live  together  for  the 
sake  of  the  work  itself,  attracted  to  deaconess  homes 
by  the  want  which  in  most  populous  towns  is  calling 

*  Andover  Review,  1888,  p.  580. 


Deaconksses  in  England.  211 

londlj  for  assistance,  and  with  the  view  of  being 
trained  therein  for  spiritual  and  temporal  usefuhiess 
among  tlie  poor."  * 

The  Rev.  H.  P.  Denison,  nephew  and  curate  of 
Archdeacon  Denison,  says,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  James 
Ponsford,  of  Ciieddar,  England :  "  Among  us  the  dea- 
coness form  of  life  has  never  been  a  very  great  suc- 
cess. Many  of  the  bishops  have  tried  to  give  it  life, 
and  there  are  now  deaconess  institutions  on  the  Kai- 
serswerth  model,  but  they  are  comparatively  few  and 
insignificant.  On  the  other  hand,  the  sisterhoods  are 
become  a  thoroughly  established  institution  and  flour- 
ish and  increase."  f  With  this  we  leave  the  sister- 
hoods, as  outside  the  scope  of  our  work  and  funda- 
mentally different  in  character  from  deaconesses. 

The  first  deaconess  institution  in  England  was  that 
formed  in  1861  in  North  London,  and  now  called  the 
London  Diocesan  Deaconess  Institution.  It  was 
founded  upon  the  Kaiserswerth  model,  and  adopted  a 
modification  of  its  dress.  It  put  itself  in  connection 
with  the  parent  institution,  and  was  looked  upon  as 
the  London  mother-house.  It  was  also  represented 
at  the  conferences,  applied  to  them  for  information 
on  important  points  of  detail,  and  was  presided  over 
for  some  time  by  one  who  had  seen  and  known  the 
work  at  Kaiserswerth.  But  since  its  early  history  the 
opinions  and  spirit  of  its  leaders  have  changed,  and 
Kaiserswerth  is  not  now  recognized  as  possessing  a 
*  Anglican  deaconesses.  f  Used  bj  permission. 


212        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

true  scrij3tiiral  diacouate.  Prelatical  assumptions  have 
taken  the  phice  of  Christian  fraternity,  and  the  organi- 
zation from  which  the  London  deaconess  institution 
caught  its  first  entliusiasm  is  ignored. 

The  female  diaconate  has  been  revived  at  Kaisers- 
werth ;  from  that  source  and  center  the  work  has 
spread,  and  what  there  is  of  it  in  the  world  to-day  has 
come  from  the  institution  planted  by  Fliedner,  as 
mucli  as  modern  Sunday-schools  have  come  from  the 
work  of  Robert  Raikes.  But  some  English  church- 
men deny  the  claim  of  Kaiserswerth  to  a  true  diaco- 
nate ;  German  deaconesses  are  not  in  the  "  succession," 
those  of  Eno^land  are. 

"In  1861,  after  being  held  in  abeyance  for  one 
thousand  years,  the  ancient  order  was  at  last  '  revived ' 
in  the  person  of  Catherine  Elizabeth  Ferard,  invested 
duly  with  the  office  of  deaconess  by  BishojD  Tait  of 
London."'^  Poor  Pastor  Fliedner!  After  having 
established  an  institution  in  Prussia  that  has  sent  its 
branches  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  its  deaconesses  be- 
ing numbered  by  thousands,  its  work  the  admiration 
of  mankind,  is  lost  sight  of,  or  remembered  only  to 
be  aspersed.  In  the  convocation  of  1862,  one  speaker 
said,  "  The  title  of  deaconess  has  been  dragged  in  the 
mud ;  it  has  been  assumed  by  women,  as  at  Kaisers- 
werth and  Sti'asburg  and  in  other  places,  who  repudi- 
ate the  Catholic  system  of  orders."  'Now  the  title 
has  been  taken   out  of  "  the  mud,"  and  the  order, 

*  Hook's  Church  Dictionary. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  213 

after  being  in  abeyance  for  "one  thousand  years," 
has  been  "  revived  "  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  in 
the  ordination  of  a  deaconess  by  Bisliop  Tait  of  Lon- 
don, afterward  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  This  is 
an  assumption  dislionorable  to  tlie  English  hierarchy, 
and  offensive  to  the  greater  part  of  intelligent  Chris- 
tendom. FHedner's  name,  connected  witli  the  order 
of  deaconesses  and  its  revival  in  modern  times,  will 
shine  brightly  when  that  of  Bishop  Tait  is  lost  in  ob- 
livion. 

It  is  but  just,  however,  to  say  that  these  views  are 
not  held  by  all  English  Church  people.  The  work  of 
Pastor  Fliedner  is  acknowledged  and  appreciated  by 
many.  Such  views  as  tliose  quoted  above  were  not 
held  by  Dean  Howson  and  his  co-workers  in  reviving 
the  ancient  female  diaconate.  In  a  work  now  before 
us,  entitled  Deaconesses  in  the  Church  of  England^ 
written  by  a  deaconess  and  having  a  prefatory  note  from 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  is  this  acknowledg- 
ment :  "  It  was  not  until  about  forty-three  years  ago, 
at  which  time  Pastor  FHedner  commenced,  in  a  very 
small  way  at  first,  the  now^  noble  institution  at  Kaisers- 
werth,  that  any  attempt  was  made  to  restore  the  old 
apostolic  order  of  deaconesses." 

Some  advocates  of  deaconess  institutions  in  England 
were  able  to  rise  above  party  considerations  and  plead 
for  them  for  their  own  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  the 
field  of  usefulness  they  would  offer  for  the  thousands 
of  English  Christian  women  who  fail  to  enter  the 


21^        Deaconesses,  Anciext  and  Modern. 

Lord's  vineyard  "  because  no  man  hath  hired  them." 
What  a  responsibiHtj  rests  on  those  men  of  whom  ic 
can  be  said,  "  Ye  entered  not  in  yourselves,  and  them 
that  were  entering  in  ye  hindered,"  and  on  those  who 
fail  to  open  the  door  where  multitudes  stand  waiting 
to  enter  for  consecration  and  labor. 

At  a  diocesan  conference  held  at  Winchester,  Can- 
on Sumner  read  a  paper,  in  which  he  said  :  "  I  am 
perfectly  aware — no  one  more  so — by  practical  per- 
sonal experience,  that  from  the  many  thousand  par- 
sonages and  squires'  houses  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land  a  band  of  ministering  servants 
of  the  Lord  daily  go  forth  on  their  holy  mission  of 
love.  I  desire  in  no  way  to  disparage  their  services 
nor  to  supersede  them  ;  but  there  are  women  who 
have  no  special  domestic  ties  to  prevent  their  self- 
dedication  ;  there  are  some  who  desire  to  give  them- 
selves up  more  wholly  to  the  work  than  it  is  possible 
to  do  amidst  the  various  details  of  ordinary  home  life, 
and  it  is  for  these  that  I  plead,  that  they  may  find  a 
recognized  place  of  work,  and  may  become  under 
episcopal  supervision  a  part  of  the  authorized  spirit- 
ual machinery  of  the  diocese.  Can  we  not,  on  such 
a  question  as  this,  rise  above  party  ?  It  is  no  party 
question.  Institutions  which  have  found  advocates 
in  Fliedner,  Arnold,  Howson,  Pennefather,  need  cer- 
tainly not  be  suspected  of  necessarily  leading  to  Rome. 
Why  may  not  we  meet  on  the  one  common  gi'ound 
of  Church  principles,  and  strive,  as  far  as  we  can,  at 


Deaconesses  in  England.  215 

any  rate  in  the  diocese  in  which  through  God's  provi- 
dence our  own  lot  in  life  is  cast,  to  restore  to  its  riglit- 
f  al  position  the  authorized  ministry  of  deaconesses  in 
the  Church  of  England  ?  " 

The  official  Year-Book  of  the  Church  of  Eno^land 
for  the  year  1888  gives  a  list  of  eight  deaconess  insti- 
tutions which  are  diocesan  organizations,  having  the 
sanction  of  the  bishops,  and  under  clerical  supervis- 
ion. The  following  are  the  dioceses  to  which  they 
belong,  and  the  post-towns  where  they  are  located : 


Dl.  CESE3. 

Post-towns. 

Canterbury. 

Maidstone. 

Chester. 

Chester. 

Ely. 

Bedford. 

London. 

Loudon. 

Salisbury, 

Salisbury. 

Winchester. 

Farnhara. 

Rochester. 

Clapham  Park. 

These  institutions  are  doing  much  good,  but  are 
not  as  prosperous  as  is  desired.  They  are  brought  in 
contrast  with  the  sisterhoods  which  are  fostered  by 
the  High  Cliurch  party,  and,  having  none  of  the  at- 
tractions of  doctrine  or  ceremony  wliicli  are  supposed 
to  draw  candidates,  are  left  without  the  encourage- 
ment which  they  deserve.  Cut  off  from  the  institu- 
tions of  the  Continent  by  Anglican  exclusiveness  tliey 
have  lost  the  enthusiasm  essential  to  success. 

There  are  other  institutions  in  England  more  lib- 
eral in  organization,  having  a  broader  sweep  of  vision, 
untrammeled   by  any   restricted   views   of   apostolic 


216       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

succession,  who  have  only  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  men  in  view,  and  who  welcome  light  from 
all  sources,  recognizing  the  good  in  all.  Such  is  the 
institution  at  Mildma}^  more  prosperous  than  any 
kindred  institution  in  England. 

The  Rev.  William  Peimefather,  a  pastor  in  the 
English  Church,  instituted  conferences  of  Christian 
workers  in  a  truly  catholic  spirit,  "  to  bring  into 
closer  social  communion  the  members  of  various 
Churches,  as  children  of  the  same  Father,  animated 
by  the  same  life,  and  heirs  together  of  the  same 
glory."  *  His  views  in  regard  to  the  employment  of 
women  in  religious  work  are  set  forth  by  him  in  a 
letter  to  Eev.  H.  C.  Potter,  D.D.,  of  :N^ew  York : 

*'  The  subject  of  wotnan's  work  in  the  Lord's  vine- 
yard has  for  many  years  occupied  my  thouglits,  and 
we  have  had  for  upward  of  eleven  years  (written  in 
1871)  a  home,  into  which  we  have  received  ladies  of 
whose  piety  and  earnest  zeal  we  have  been  assured. 
.  .  .  I  do  not  think  the  importance  of  employing 
pious  and  intelligent  women  in  direct  work  for  our 
Lord  and  Master  can  be  overestimated.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  in  our  Lord's  life-time  such  ministered  unto 
him,  and  that  in  the  very  early  days  of  Christianity 
their  labors  tended  to  the  furtherance  of  the  Gospel. 
All  false  religions  tend  to  degrade  woman.  The 
Gospel  of  God's  grace  raises  her  to  her  original  posi- 
tion as  a  real  help  to  the  other  sex.     God  sends  man 

*  Life  and  Letters  of  Rev.   W.  Pennefather,  p.  305. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  217 

and  woman  out  into  his  vineyard,  hand  in  hand,  to 
labor  in  the  blessed  work  of  binding  up  the  broken 
in  heart,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  requires  the 
strength  of  the  one  and  tlie  skillfulness  of  the  other 
to  effect  the  work.  In  our  divine  Master  (the  per- 
fect One)  there  Avere  united  the  perfections  of  the 
one  and  the  other."  * 

The  Mikhnay  work  was  organized  by  Eev.  W.  Pen- 
nefather  at  Barnet  in  1860  upon  a  very  modest  scale. 
In  1861  it  was  transferred  to  Mild  may  when  he  be- 
came pastor  in  that  place.  It  is  cliaracterized  by 
great  freedom  and  simplicity,  and  while  in  its  general 
spirit  it  follows  the  Kaiserswerth  model,  in  its  details 
it  has  marked  elasticity  and  adaptation  to  the  work  to 
which  the  deaconesses  have  addressed  themselves. 

The  Mild  may  institution  comprises  at  present  (1888) 
three  main  departments  :  a  deaconess  house,  a  nursing 
house,  and  a  training  house  for  home  and  foreign 
missionaries.  The  deaconess  house  will  claim  our 
chief  attention.  It  will  be  impossible  to  give  in  the 
space  that  can  be  devoted  to  this  institution  any 
thing  more  than  a  bare  outline  of  the  work  that 
is  there  done,  and  yet  to  omit  all  detail  would  pre- 
vent giving  such  information  as  we  desire  our  readers 
to  have. 

The  Central  Deaconess  House  and  the  Conference 
Hall  form  one  large  building.  The  latter  will  seat  an 
audience  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  people,  and  is 
*  Sisterhoods  and  Deaconesses,  by  H.  C.  Potter,  D.D.,  p.  89. 


218        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

used  for  the  large  conferences  of  Christian  workers 
so  often  convened.  The  Central  Deaconess  House 
is  the  busy  hive  whence  so  many  laborers  issue,  for 
woman  in  this  case  "  goetli  forth  to  work  until  the 
evening,"  or  ratlier  until  the  night,  as  very  much  of 
the  deaconess  work  among  the  poor  must  be  done  in 
the  evening. 

As  a  rule  every  deaconess  is  expected  to  come 
from  her  post  of  labor  to  the  comparatively  pure  air 
of  Mildmay  to  sleep,  for  the  morning  and  evening 
meal,  and  also  for  luncheon,  if  within  reach.  While 
great  simplicity  is  observed,  both  of  dress  and  accom- 
modation, there  is  a  studied  brightness  in  the  furnish- 
ing and  decoration  of  their  rooms.  Tlie  deaconesses' 
sitting-room  is  an  immense  apartment,  with  windows 
along  one  side,  hung  with  curtains.  Easy  chairs, 
sofas,  small  tables,  pictures,  illuminations,  and  flowers 
abound  ;  every  thing  that  can  give  an  air  of  lionie 
comfort  to  eyes  wearied  with  squalor  and  misery. 
Below  this  is  a  room  known  as  *'  No.  6,"  where  all 
house  meetings  are  held.  The  dining-room  is  in  the 
basement.  There  are  also  many  other  rooms  in  that 
department  that  are  constantly  in  use  :  the  invalid 
kitchen,  a  sort  of  meat  and  soup  dispensary  for  the 
poor ;  the  orphan  school-room  ;  the  Dorcas  room, 
where  some  of  the  deaconesses  are  employed  in  cut- 
ting out  clothing  or  superintending  the  aged  widows' 
sewing-class.  These  widows  receive  pay  for  their  work, 
while  the  clothing  they  make  is  given  to  the  poor. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  219 

'NeiiY  at  hand  is  the  flower  mission  room,  in  charge 
of  a  deaconess,  where  about  two  tlioiisand  bunches 
of  flowers  are  made  up  every  week,  in  summer  time. 
Each  is  adorned  with  a  bright-colored  text,  then  taken 
to  the  hospitals  and  workhouse  infirmaries.  In  tlie 
winter  months  all  these  rooms  are  crowded,  three 
evenings  in  tlie  week,  with  men's  night-schools,  which 
have  no  rivals  in  England.  The  number  of  names 
on  the  books  exceeds  twelve  hundred.  These  are 
taught  bj  deaconesses.  The  Bible  is  read  on  two 
evenings,  a  scriptural  address  is  given  on  the  other, 
and  the  schools  always  close  with  singing  and  prayer. 
A  circulating  library  is  also  attached.  The  night- 
school  exerts  a  great  influence  for  good.  Many  of 
the  men  pass  from  it  to  tlie  Sunday  Bible  classes. 
There  are  Bible  classes  for  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, for  ladies,  for  young  men,  for  girls  of  different 
ages  and  ranks,  and  for  servants.  Many  of  these  are 
conducted  by  deaconesses. 

So  far,  as  to  the  Central  Deaconess  House,  it 
should  be  added  that,  in  addition,  there  are  a  large 
number  of  probationers  and  embryo  deaconesses  yet 
under  training.  ''  Fresh  candidates  applying  for  ad- 
mission to  the  deaconess  work,  and  judged  in  any 
degree  suitable  by  Mrs.  Pennefather,  in  point  of 
health,  gifts,  etc.,  are  sent  for  one  month  '  on  trial ' 
to  the  Probation  House.  At  the  month's  end,  if  ac- 
cepted, the  elder  candidates  are  received  into  the 
Center  House,  while  the  younger  ones  are  drafted  on 


220        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

to  the  Training  Home.  Here  they  remain  for  a 
year,  eighteen  months,  or  two  years,  as  may  seem  de- 
sirable, being  trained  in  the  practical  knowledge  of 
all  branches  of  domestic  manao^ement  —  cookinsr, 
laundry  work,  book-keeping,  cutting  out  clothing,  etc. 
When  the  period,  long  or  short,  of  training  has  ex- 
pired, the  w^orkers  are  passed  on  to  the  Center  House 
at  Mildmay,  or  to  the  South  Deaconess  House  at 
Brixton,  and  at  once  take  their  place  in  the  ranks, 
commencing  work  at  one  or  otlier  of  the  outlying 
missions." 

Thus  far  w^e  have  spoken  of  the  mission  deacon- 
esses; but  there  are  also  one  hundred  "Nursing  Sis- 
ters," nurses  and  probationers  who  have  a  Nursing 
House  presided  over  by  a  lady  superintendent  of  their 
own.  Comparatively  few  of  these  are  off  duty  and  at 
home  at  any  one  time.  In  addition  to  a  great  deal  of 
private  nursing  all  over  the  kingdom  and  on  the  Con- 
tinent, there  is  an  infirmary  at  Doncaster,  a  medical 
station  at  Malta,  and  a  medical  mission  and  hospital 
at  Jaffa,  all  nursed  by  Mildmay  "  sisters,"  as  well  as 
a  hospital  at  Bethnal  Green,  and  the  cottage  hospital 
at  Mildmay.  In  connection  with  these  is  a  convales- 
cent home  at  Brighton,  a  home  for  invalid  ladies,  an 
infirmary  on  Newington  Green,  and  an  orphanage 
and  servants'  registry  and  home. 

Most  that  has  been  said  is  in  regard  to  the  work 
grouped  around  the  Center  House  at  Mildmay  Park, 
but  the  greater  part  of  the  deaconess  work  is  done 


Deaconesses  in  England.  221 

in  the  outlying  districts,  among  the  suffering  poor  in 
the  crowded  parts  of  "  outcast  London."  There  are 
twenty-one  of  these  districts  now  worked  by  the  dea- 
conesses. Many  instances  of  conversion  occur  under 
their  labors  in  the  hospitals,  in  the  schools,  and  at  the 
homes  of  the  people.  One  man  at  the  hospital,  who 
has  emigrated,  was  an  avowed  infidel  when  he  became 
a  patient.  After  some  time  he  observed  to  the  nurse 
that,  whether  the  things  he  heard  of  were  true  or  not, 
she  at  any  rate  must  believe  them  or  she  would  not 
do  the  work  she  did.  He  was  a  very  thoughtful  and 
intelligent  man,  and  though  when  he  first  came  he 
would  not  even  take  a  Bible  in  his  hands,  and  turned 
his  back  on  others  who  were  at  prayer,  he  now  began 
to  read  the  once  hated  book  for  himself.  Even  be- 
fore he  left  the  hospital  the  change  in  him  was  so 
great  as  to  be  apparent  to  every  one,  and  while  in  the 
convalescent  home  at  Barnet  he  entered  into  the  in- 
ward life  and  peace  which  he  had  formerly  despised. 
This  instance  is  one  of  thousands.  At  the  mission 
houses  in  the  outlying  districts  all  sorts  of  meetings 
are  held.  We  give  a  list  of  those  at  Bethnal  Green 
as  a  fair  sample  of  all,  though  the  rules  are  flexible 
and  can  be  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  people  : 
On  Sunday  there  is  a  morning  Bible-class,  an  after- 
noon school,  and  an  evening  evangelistic  service  ;  on 
Monday  afternoon,  a  mothers'  meeting,  and  at  night 
a  temperance  meeting  ;  on  Tuesday  evening  a  class 
for  little  boys,  and  a  sewing  class  for  girls  under  four- 


222       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modeen. 


teen  ;  on  Wednesday  afternoon  a  women's  reading 
class,  and  at  night  a  Bible  class ;  on  Tliursda}^  classes 
for  little  girls  and  for  girls  over  fourteen.  Classes 
for  men  and  social  evenings  for  yontlis  take  place 
every  niglit  except  Monday  and  Saturday.  Children's 
services  are  also  held,  attended,  on  an  average,  by  one 
hundi-ed  girls  and  about  seventy  boys.  Twice  a  week 
thronged  "dinners"  prove  the  need  which  the  poor 
little  wanderers  of  the  streets  have  for  warmth  and 
food.  The  average  attendance  at  the  girls'  sewing- 
class  is  about  thirty,  and  includes  some  of  the  rough- 
est gii'ls  in  the  neighborhood,  attracted,  perhaps,  by 
the  sound  of  music,  or  a  present  of  flowers,  or  the 
prospect  of  a  summer  treat. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  tabulate  or  give  a  sum- 
mary of  the  work  done.  At  the  meetings  held  in 
1887  by  the  deaconesses,  an  average  of  more  than 
nine  thousand  each  week  attended  in  the  winter, 
somewhat  less  in  summer.  The  flower  mission  sent 
out  to  infirmaries,  hospitals,  and  to  the  sick  and  poor 
37,125  of  its  bright  tokens  of  sympathy  and  kindness, 
each  accompanied  by  some  message  from  God's  word. 
In  very  many  cases  we  know  that  these  have  been 
followed  by  his  blessing ;  and  we  trust  that  eternity 
will  unfold  countless  other  instances,  undreamed  of 
now,  of  sad  hearts  comforted,  and  dying  eyes  turned 
to  a  Saviour  by  these  sweet  silent  messengers. 

One  deaconess,  who  lives  at  the  Nursing  House  and 
works  permanently  among  the  sick  and  poor  of  the 


Deaconesses  in  England.  223 

district,  made  seventeen  hundred  visits  during  the  year. 
In  the  medical  department  of  the  institution  the  fig- 
ures represent  more  than  9,000  attendances  at  the 
medical  mission,  and  about  15,000  visits  by  doctors 
and  deaconesses  to  the  sick  in  their  own  homes. 

Two  other  medical  missions  were  opened  in  1888, 
and  have  already  been  attended  by  large  numbers  of 
patients.  Thirty-six  girls  are  in  the  orphanage ;  the 
home  and  registry  has  given  temporary  shelter  to 
two  hundred  and  sixty.  One  thousand  tw^o  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  applicants,  ranging  from  governesses 
and  matrons  down  to  little  maids-of-all-woi'k,  have 
been  placed  in  situations,  and  ninety  others  provided 
with  temporary  employment.  In  the  ''Haven,"  the 
little  refuge  in  the  borough  where  the  rescue  work 
is  chiefly  carried  on,  two  hundred  and  five  girls  and 
women  have  been  received  during  the  period  under 
review ;  some  requiring  only  temporary  shelter,  ad- 
vice, and  assistance,  but  by  far  the  larger  number  be- 
ing cases  of  real  "rescue"  from  a  life  of  shame. 
Some  of  these  have  been  sent  to  other  homes,  some 
I'estored  to  friends,  placed  in  situations,  or  sent  abroad  ; 
and  all  lovingly  directed  to  a  Saviour  whom,  we  trust, 
many  of  them  have  sought  and  found. 

The  above  is  condensed  from  two  small  tracts, 
Mildmay  Deaconesses  and  their  Work,  and  ^  Retro- 
spect of  Mildmay  Work  during  the  year  1887.  A 
spirit  of  devotion  to  Christ  and  his  work  breathes 
through  tlie  whole,  and  impresses  one  that  the  Spirit 


224       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

that  moves  the  Mildmay  Mission  is  the  spirit  of 
heaven.  The  last-named  tract,  which  is  officially  pub- 
lislied,  closes  with  the  following  paragraph  : 

"  It  may  be  that  in  the  pressure  of  our  busy  life 
at  Mildmay  we  have  sometimes  seemed  lacking  in 
the  grace  of  gratitude ;  but  we  rejoice  to  know  that 
our  Kins:  overlooks  nothino^  that  is  done  for  him. 
We  have  it  on  his  own  authority  that  even  a  cup 
of  cold  water  given  for  his  sake  shall  in  no  wise 
lose  its  reward  ;  and  to  him  we  commend  all  w^ho 
have  made  us  the  channels  of  their  service  to  his 
poor.  From  him  comes  both  the  power  and  the  will 
to  give ;  through  him  alone  is  any  gift  acceptable  or 
any  work  successful ;  to  him  all  praise  is  due.  '  For 
of  him,  and  through  him,  and  to  him  are  all  things, 
to  whom  be  glory  forever.     Amen.'  " 

The  deaconesses  at  Mildmay  are  bound  by  no  vows  ; 
one  great  advantage  of  the  institution  is  its  perfect 
freedom.  You  can  be  an  inmate  as  long  or  as  short 
a  time  as  you  please.  Some  ladies,  whose  home  ties 
prevent  their  giving  much  time  to  out-door  labor,  go 
to  the  deaconess  home  for  the  sake  of  devoting  a 
month  or  two  each  year  to  systematic  work  for 
Christ ;  but  others,  who  have  nothing  to  hinder,  make 
it  their  life-work.  They  are  bound  by  no  rule  save 
that  of  punctuality.  When  they  first  come  to  the 
home  they  are  told  that  they  are  trusted  to  occupy 
their  time  to  the  best  advantage,  and  the  trust  is  not 
abused. 


Deaconesses  in  England.*  -225 

The  Mildmay  institutions  are  not  sectarian,  but 
deeply  religious  in  character;  their  founder  was  a 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  attached  to  the 
Low  Church  party,  and  the  style  of  thought  prevail- 
ing in  that  party  predominates,  to  some  extent,  at 
Mildmay,  considerable  prominence  being  given  to  the 
second  advent  of  our  Lord,  and  the  higher  life  of 
the  believer.  But  Mr.  James  E.  Mathieson,  the  pres- 
ent treasurer  and  superintendent,  also  the  lady  at  the 
liead  of  the  deaconess  house,  and  some  of  the  dea- 
conesses, are  Presbyterians. 

"  The  deaconess  institution  in  England  which  is  at 
present  in  close  connection  w^ith  those  on  the  Conti- 
nent is  the  one  established  in  1867  by  Dr.  Michael 
Laseron,  at  Tottenham,  North  London.  It  is  unsec- 
tarian,  but  has  been,  from  its  commencement,  chiefly 
supported  by  Non-conformists,  the  late  Mr.  Samuel 
Morley  and  his  sons  and  his  brother,  Mr.  John  Morley, 
the  treasurer  of  the  institution,  having  been  among 
its  generous  donors.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Laseron  were  led, 
after  the  death  of  their  only  child,  to  open,  in  1856, 
a  ragged  school  for  children  of  both  sexes,  and  later 
an  orphan  home  for  poor  girls.  The  orphan  home 
has  been  managed  by  methods  similar  to  those  em- 
ployed by  Mr.  George  Miiller  in  carrying  on  his 
orphanage  in  Bristol.  The  work,  like  most  benevo- 
lent operations,  grew  on  their  hands.  A  servant-girls' 
training  home  was  added,  and  various  evening  schools. 

At  length,  as  request  was  often  made  that  older  girls 
15 


226        Deacon KSSEs,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

from  tlie  home  miglit  assist  as  nurses  in  the  care 
of  the  sick,  Dr.  Laseron,  who  is  liim.self  a  German, 
determined  to  open  a  deaconess  house  and  hospital 
after  tlie  model  of  Kaiserawertli.  One  of  the  sisters 
from  the  '  Bethanien '  house,  in  Berlin,  was  the  first 
deaconess,  and  a  sister  from  Kaiserswerth  the  first 
superintendent.  There  are  at  present  sixty-three  dea- 
conesses, and  there  are  affiliated  stations  at  hospitals 
at  Dublin,  Cork,  Sunderland,  and  Scarborough.  The 
regulations  of  the  institution  are  in  the  main  similar 
to  those  of  Kaiserswerth,  althouo^h  they  are,  in  some 
respects,  rather  less  free.  The  deaconesses  at  the 
mother-house,  Tottenham,  carry  on,  besides  their  work 
in  the  hospital  and  dispensar^^  mission  work  among 
workiug  girls,  working-men,  and  policemen;  they  have 
also  an  evening  school  for  men,  a  motliers'  meeting, 
and  various  other  benevolent  operations."* 

We  give  the  following  as  the  principles  and  rules 
by  which  most  of  the  deaconess  institutions  of  the 
Chnrcli  of  England  are  governed,  and  as  a  condensed 
statement  of  the  mature  thought  of  the  best  minds  in 
the  Anglican  communion  upon  this  subject.  These 
"general  principles"  and  "proposed  rules"  were 
drawn  up  and  concurred  in  at  a  conference  in  Eng- 
land by  the  archbishop  and  bishops  whose  signatures 
are  appended,  and  communicated  to  the  Church  at 
large  by  the  Very  Reverend  Dr.  How^son,  the  Dean 
of  Chester. 

*  Andover  Etview,  1888. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  227 

I.  General  Pkinciples. 

{a.)  Definition  of  a  deaconess. 

A  deaconess  is  a  woman  set  apart  by  a  bishop, 
under  that  title,  for  service  in  tlie  Church. 

ih.)  Rdation  of  a  deaconess  to  a  hishoj). 

(1.)  1^0  deaconess  or  deaconess  institution  sliall 
officially  accept  or  resign  work  in  a  diocese  without 
the  express  authority  of  the  bishop  of  that  diocese, 
which  authority  may  at  any  time  be  withdrawn. 

(2.)  A  deaconess  shall  be  at  liberty  to  resign  her 
commission  as  deaconess,  or  may  be  deprived  of  it 
by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  in  which  she  is  working. 

{c.)  Relation  of  a  deaconess  to  an  incumbent. 

No  deaconess  shall  officially  accept  work  in  a  parish 
(except  it  be  in  some  non-parochial  position,  as  in  a 
hospital  or  the  like)  without  the  express  authority  of 
the  incumbent  of  that  parish,  which  authority  may  at 
any  time  be  withdrawn. 

{d^  Relation  of  a  deaconess  to  a  deaconess  insti- 
tution. 

In  all  matters  not  connected  witli  the  parochial  or 
other  system  under  which  she  is  summoned  to  work,  a 
deaconess  may,  if  belonging  to  a  deaconess  institution, 
act  in  harmony  with  the  general  rules  of  such  institu- 
tion. 

11.  EuLEs  Suggested. 

(a)  Probation. 

It  is  essential  that  none  be  admitted  without  careful 
previous  preparation,  both  technical  and  religious. 


228       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

(Ij.)  Dress. 

A  deaco!iess  sliould  wear  a  dress  which  is  at  once 
simple  and  distinctive. 
{c.)  Rdlgioiis  Ttnowledge. 

It  is  essential  to  the  efficiency  of  a  deaconess  that 
she  should  maintain  her  habit  of  prayer  and  medita- 
tion, and  aim  at  continual  progress  in  religious  knowl- 
edge. 

(<f .)  Designation  and  signature. 
It  is  desirable  that  a  deaconess  should  not  drop  the 
use  of  her  surname  ;  and  with  this  end  in  view  it  is 
suggested  that  her  official  designation  should  be  ^^Dea- 
coness A.  -S.,"  (Christian  and  surname),  and  her  offi- 
cial signature  should  be  "^.  ^.,  Deaconess?'' 

P.  S. — It  is  desirable  that  each  deaconess  institu- 
tion should  have  a  body  of  associates  attached  to  it, 
for  the  purpose  of  general  counsel  and  co-operation. 
Signed  by  the  archbishops  and  eighteen  bishops. 
A.  C.  Cantuar.  G.  a.  Lichfield. 

W.  Ebor.  C.  Lincoln. 

J.  London.  J.  F.  Oxon. 

S.  WiNTON.  W.  C.  Peterborough. 

J.  C.  Bangor.  T.  L.  Kochester. 

A.  C.  Bath  andAYells.      G.  Sarum. 
Harvey  Carlisle.  H.  D,  Chichester. 

W.  Chester.  E.  H.  Ely. 

C.  J.  Gloucester  and       C.  St.  David's. 
Bristol.  F.  Exon. 

J.  Hereford. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  229 

The  Wesleyans  of  England  are  also  turning  their 
attention  to  this  form  of  work,  especially  in  connec- 
tion with  the  London  West  Central  Mission.  This 
is  under  the  joint  superintendency  of  two  prominent 
ministers,  Rev^  Hugh  Price  Hughes  and  Rev.  Mark 
Guy  Pearse,  members  of  the  English  Wesleyan  Confer- 
ence. As  to  the  orie^in  of  the  mission  Mr.  Huo-hes 
says :  "  We  realized  that  we  were  partly  responsible 
for  the  existing  sin  and  misery  of  London,  and  that 
we  must  do  our  share  in  the  great  work  which  de- 
mands the  united  devotion  of  all  the  Churches." 

After  investigation  it  was  found  that  Methodism 
had  done  less  for  the  West  End  than  for  any  other 
spot  in  England  or  her  colonies.  "  We  discovered 
four  hundred  thousand  persons,  among  whom  we 
were  doing  nothing.  .  .  .  The  west  center  of  London 
is  the  most  important  sphere  of  Christian  work  in  the 
British  Empire,  and  therefore  in  the  world.  .  .  .  This 
quarter  of  London  embraces  both  houses  of  Parlia- 
ment, the  clubs,  and  the  immensely  influential  classes 
who  are  significantly  called  '  society.'  Above  all, 
this  part  of  London  is  the  great  center  of  pleasure. 
It  is  the  Yanity  Fair  of  the  civilized  w^orld,  compet- 
ing even  w^ith  Paris  in  its  elaborate,  costly,  and  ar- 
tistic provisions  for  all  the  lusts  of  the  flesh."  * 

The  mission  is  organized  on  a  catholic  basis,  and 
enjoys  the  co-operation  of  members  of  all  Christian 
Churches.     One  of  its  institutions  is  the  "  Katherine 

^  First  Annual  Report,  1888. 


230        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


House,"  and  a  part  of  its  working  force  are  tlie 
twelve  ''  Sisters  of  tlie  People,"  who  reside  there. 
Of  this  the  report  says :  "  Katherine  House,  the 
residence  of  the  Sisters  of  the  People,  was  opened 
early  in  November,  1887,  and  from  that  day  the 
work  of  the  sisters  dates  its  commencement.  Three 
sisters  came  into  residence  at  once,  and  after  Christ- 
mas more  joined  us,  till,  by  the  end  of  February,  our 
number  was  complete,  twelve  being  all  that  we  can 
accommodate  at  present." 

The  work  of  the  sisters  is  constantly  increasing  and 
developing.  Their  plan  of  work  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  Mildmay  Mission  deaconesses.  Each  sister  has  a 
district  allotted  to  her  in  the  slums  of  that  part  of 
the  city,  which  she  visits  regularly  and  systematically. 
They  render  to  the  sick  and  poor  such  help  as  they 
can  for  their  physical  needs,  and  give  spiritual  in- 
struction which  in  many  instances  has  led  them  to 
Christ  and  a  reformed  life.  They  conduct  a  "  read- 
ing class  for  women "  and  a  "  mothers'  meeting." 
They  have  also  "  The  Sheen  Society,"  the  object  of 
which  is  to  make  and  collect  garments  for  distribu- 
tion among  the  poor  living  in  the  districts  visited  by 
the  sisters.  The  society  is  worked  by  means  of  local 
secretaries,  who  induce  as  many  members  as  possible 
to  join  them  and  collect  and  send  off  the  garments 
every  quarter.  Each  member  sends  in  every  three 
months  one  garment,  either  new  or  an  old  one  re- 
paired. 


Deaconesses  in  England.  231 

There  is  also  an  inquiry  room,  specially  under  the 
direction  of  the  sisters,  where  women  come  for  relig- 
ious instruction.  The  first  step  with  many  of  them 
is  to  sign  the  total  abstinence  pledge,  and  many  in- 
stances are  recorded  of  rescue  and  conversion.  There 
is  also  a  "Girls'  Club,"  for  "  the  wild,  rough  girls  who 
abound  in  the  neighborhood  of  Soho." 

The  first  evening  twenty-five  girls  became  mem- 
bers, and  the  room  soon  became  so  full  that  no  new 
members  could  be  admitted.  It  is  open  every  even- 
ing but  Saturday,  from  eight  to  ten  o'clock,  and  is 
always  closed  with  singing  and  prayer.  "  The  wild, 
rongh  girls"  of  Soho  are  not  so  easily  tamed  as  the 
sisters  could  w^ish,  and  sometimes  make  much  trouble, 
as  the  following  instance  shows  : 

"  One  evening,  about  nine  o'clock,  three  or  four 
rather  large,  coarse  girls  came  into  the  club,  showing 
at  once  by  their  manner  of  entrance  and  bearing  that 
they  were  not  bent  on  any  good.  Yery  soon  they 
began  to  dance,  not  in  the  most  refined  and  modest 
manner.  Now  dancing  is  against  our  rules,  and  is 
never  allowed,  so  the  sister  in  charge  called  upon 
them  instantly  to  stop.  They  did  so  for  the  moment, 
but  began  again  as  soon  as  her  back  was  turned.  She 
again  spoke  to  them,  and  the  same  conduct  w^as  re- 
peated three  or  four  times.  She  then  saw  that  disci- 
pline must  be  maintained,  and  ordered  those  girls  to 
leave  the  club.  They  refused  flatly  to  do  so  ;  and 
when  other  sisters  came  forw^ard  to  assist  in  conduct- 


232        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modekn. 


ing  them  from  the  room  thej  lay  down  on  tlie  floor 
full  length,  while  some  of  the  other  girls  flung  them- 
selves upon  them,  so  as  to  prevent  their  removal. 
The  sisters  tlien  gave  orders  that  every  girl  should 
leave  the  club.  Some  of  the  more  orderly  ones  set  a 
good  example  by  going  out  quietly,  but  the  rebellious 
faction  held  out.  Nevertheless  they  were  led  or  car- 
ried out  one  by  one  by  the  sisters  and  placed  outside 
the  door.  We  had  got  the  ringleader  out,  as  we 
fondly  imagined,  when,  lo  and  behold !  she  shot  in 
head-foremost,  meteor-like,  through  a  window  near 
the  ground  at  the  other  end  of  the  room.  However, 
her  removal  was  again  efiected,  and  the  room  was  at 
last  cleared.  The  sisters  alone  remained — heated,  but 
triumphant." 

The  most  gratifying  part  of  the  story  is  that  in  a 
short  time  the  rebels  returned  very  quietly  and  meekly 
to  beg  the  sisters'  pardon.  They  were  excluded  from 
the  room  for  the  remainder  of  the  week,  and  were 
summoned  to  appear  before  the  head  sister,  Mrs. 
Hughes,  for  a  serious  reprimand.  They  obeyed  the 
summons  of  their  own  free  will,  received  the  lecture 
in  lamb-like  meekness,  with  expressions  of  penitence, 
and  were  again  restored  to  favor  and  confidence. 

Tliese  lady  workers  have  taken  the  name  of  "  sis- 
ter," instead  of  "  deaconess,"  as  perhaps  better  known 
to  the  people  and  more  popular,  but  it  will  be  seen 
that  tlieir  work  is  the  same  as  that  pursued  by  the  mis- 
sion deaconesses.     They  are  known  as  Sister  Huldah, 


Deaconesses  in  England.  233 

Sister  Clara,  etc.  Thej  have  adopted  a  dress  grace- 
ful and  uniform.  A  heavy  drab  veil  falling  from 
tlie  back  of  the  bonnet  and  a  ribbon  bow  of  the 
same  color  at  the  neck  are  the  marked  features. 
These  twelve  "  sisters "  live  together  in  Katherine 
House ;  all  are  ladies  in  the  English  sense,  and  sup- 
port themselves  wholly,  receiving  no  pay  for  their 
services. 

There  is  also  at  Halifax,  England,  an  institution 
kindred  at  least  to  that  of  the  deaconesses.  It  is  a 
training-school  for  female  evangelists.  It  is  under 
the  auspices  of  Mr.  Clegg,  a  Wesleyan  Methodist, 
but  lias  no  connection  with  the  Conference.  Some 
of  the  ladies  in  this  school  are  visitors  and  some  are 
evangelists,  in  the  now  commonly  accepted  sense  of 
the  word.  They  go  where  they  are  invited  to  hold 
services  in  churches,  and  preach  much  as  evangelists 
do  in  this  country.  The  institution  is  in  its  infancy, 
and  is  being  scrutinized  as  an  experiment.  It  some- 
what resembles  the  Missionary  Training-School  in 
Chicao^o. 


23 i:        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

DEACONESSES  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
Lutheran  Church. 

The  first  mention  that  we  find  of  the  order  of 
deaconesses  in  the  United  States  is  in  connection 
with  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  comes  from  Kaisers- 
werth. 

In  Fliedner's  annual  report,  January  1,  ISttT,  he 
says:  "We  liave  been  urgently  requested  to  send 
deaconesses  from  here  to  !Nortli  America,  to  a  prom- 
inent city  of  the  United  States,  to  take  charge 
of  a  hospital  and  organize  a  mother  house  for  tlie 
training  of  deaconesses.  The  American  clergyman 
who  personally  made  this  request  laid  the  matter 
upon  our  conscience  with  such  urgency  that  we 
could  not  but  promise  to  send  out  a  number  of  sisters 
as  soon  as  it  should  be  possible." 

Two  years  elapsed  before  it  was  found  possible  to 
fulfill  this  promise.  In  the  report  of  1848  the  mat- 
ter Is  again  alluded  to  in  the  following  language  : 
"  We  had  expected  to  send  out  deaconesses  to  ]N"orth 
America  this  spring,  but  thus  far  we  have  been  un- 
able to  do  it."  In  January,  1849,  tlie  announcement 
is  made:  "  God  willing,  in  tlie  course  of  this  summer 
four    deaconesses   w^ill    start    for    Pittsburg,    North 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.       235 

America,  to  assist  in  the  organization  of  a  motlier- 
lionse  there/' 

In  1850  Pastor  Fliedner  again  reports  :  "  In  North 
America,  thus  far,  no  deaconesses  were  to  be  found, 
but  a  great  number  of  Roman  Catholic  Sisters  of 
Mercy.  Now  the  Rev.  Dr.  Passavant,  an  Englisli 
Lutheran  pastor  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  has  established  a 
hospital  since  we  promised  him  to  send  out  deacon- 
esses for  the  nursing  of  the  sick  and  the  training  of 
American  probationers.  In  the  month  of  June, 
1849,  the  inspector  (Fliedner  himself)  had  the  pleas- 
nre  of  accompanying  four  sisters  in  their  journey  to 
Pittsburg.  Abont  the  middle  of  July  tliej  took 
cliarge  of  the  newly  established  hospital,  and  imme- 
diately afterward  they  received  tlie  first  American 
probationer."  * 

As  this  is  tlie  first  deaconess  home  on  this  conti- 
nent, a  brief  account  of  it  is  in  place.  Its  establishment 
was  due  to  the  labors  of  the  Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant, 
D.D.,  the  pastor  of  the  Engh'sh  Lutheran  Clinrch  in 
Pittsburg.  At  first  a  honse  in  Alleghany  City  was 
rented  for  the  purpose  of  a  home  and  hospital,  bnt 
was  not  used  to  any  great  extent.  A  property  in 
Pittsburg  which  had  been  used  as  a  female  sen:iinary 
was  bought  for  $5,500  for  a  hospital  and  deacoTiess 
institution.  Rev.  Dr.  Fliedner  and  the  four  deacon- 
esses having  arrived  from  Germany,  Sunday,  July 
17,  1849,  was  appointed  as  the  time  to  dedicate  the 

*  Pheie  the  Deaconess,  Rev.  Dr.  Spaeth,  p.  20. 


236       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


place  to  the  holy  purposes  for  which  it  had  been  pur- 
chased. Dr.  Fliedner  gave  an  address  in  German, 
explaining  the  design  of  the  institution  as  an  infirin- 
arj  for  the  sick  and  a  mother-house  for  the  training 
of  Christian  deaconesses  for  hospitals,  asylums,  and 
congregations  in  other  parts  of  the  United  States. 

The  establishment  of  the  institution  made  some 
impression  at  the  time,  but  nothing  commensurate 
with  its  importance.  The  Lutheran  Synod  was  dis- 
posed to  hold  the  work  on  probation,  and  was  afraid 
to  fully  indorse  it.  It  said :  "  This  ministerium 
awaits  with  deep  interest  the  result  of  the  work 
made  in  behalf  of  the  institution  of  Protestant  dea- 
conesses at  Pittsburg."  ^ 

The  work  of  the  deaconesses  was  highly  appre- 
ciated by  the  intelligent  citizens,  and  constant  appli- 
cation was  made  for  their  services  by  directors  of 
hospitals,  magistrates,  and  private  individuals.  Many 
of  the  ignorant  classes  felt  aggrieved  at  the  presence 
of  the  hospital,  saj'ing  tliat  contagious  diseases  would 
be  brought,  to  the  injury  of  tlie  city.  In  cases  where 
deaconesses  were  sent  to  nurse  in  private  families  it 
brought  large  donations  to  the  institution.  The 
greatest  difficulty  encountered  was  in  finding  women 
willing  to  enter  as  probationers,  perhaps  not  so 
nj^uch  through  lack  of  piety  or  zeal  as  from  prejudice 
and  want  of  faith  in  the  utility  of  the  institution  it- 
self. An  addition  to  the  little  band  was  made  May 
*Fhebe  the  Deaconess,  Rev.  Dr.  Spaeth,  p.  20. 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.        237 

28,  1850,  by  the  consecration  of  a  native  American 
sister,  Louise  Marthens,  the  first  woman  ever  formally 
ordained  to  the  merciful,  Christ-like  v^^ork  of  a  dea- 
coness on  this  continent.  The  exercises  connected 
with  her  reception  took  place  in  the  English  Lutheran 
church.  On  the  occasion  a  sermon  was  preached, 
founded  on  Rom.  xvi,  1. 

"  The  sermon  being  ended,  the  candidate  ap- 
proached the  altar,  and  after  professing  anew  her 
Christian  faith  according  to  the  articles  of  the  Apos- 
tles' Creed,  answered  the  following  questions  in  the 
affirmative,  with  a  distinct  and  courageous  voice : 
Have  you,  of  your  OAvn  free  choice,  moved  thereto 
by  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  without  the  persua- 
sion of  others,  chosen  this  service  upon  which  you 
are  about  to  enter?  Are  you  resolved,  by  the  help 
of  God,  faithfully  to  perform  the  duties  of  this  of- 
fice, in  his  fear  and  according  to  his  holy  word  ? "  * 

The  assembled  synod  and  congregation  then  joy- 
fully united  with  the  newly  received  sister  in 
singing  the  appropriate  and  beautiful  hymn  of 
Charles  Wesley  (No.  470  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Hymnal) : 

"  If  so  poor  a  worm  as  I 

May  to  thy  great  glory  live, 
All  my  actions  sanctify, 

All  my  words  and  thoughts  receive  ; 
Claim  me  for  thy  service;  claim 
All  I  have,  and  all  I  am. 

*  Phehe  the  Deaconess^  Rev.  Dr.  Spaeth,  p.  25. 
16 


238        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

"  Take  my  soul  and  body's  powers ; 

Take  my  memory,  mind,  and  will; 
All  my  goods,  and  all  my  hours; 

All  I  know,  and  all  I  feel ; 
All  I  think,  or  speak,  or  do ; 
Take  my  heart,  but  make  it  new. 

"  Now,  0  God,  thine  own  I  am ; 

Now  I  give  thee  back  thine  own ; 
Freedom,  friends,  and  health,  and  fame, 

Consecrate  to  tliee  alone; 
Thine  I  live,  thrice  happy  I; 
Happier  still  if  thine  I  die." 

It  is  gratifying  to  note  that  this  first  American 
deaconess  was  a  faithful  and  efficient  lal)orer.  Of 
her  later  life  we  know  notlii ng ;  perhaps  in  some 
quiet  retreat  she  is  spending  the  evening  of  life 
awaiting  in  hope  the  coming  of  lier  Lord,  or,  per- 
haps, has  already  heard  the  summons,  "It  is  enough  ; 
come  up  higher."  She  was  the  first  of  wliat  will 
be,  no  doubt,  a  long  line  of  noble,  self-sacrificing 
women,  wliose  lives  will  I'eflect  the  glory  of  tlieir 
Lord,  and  who,  having  won  "  many  to  righteousness, 
shall  shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 

Another  deaconess  was  sent  from  Kaisers werth  in 
1851,  and  three  German  immigrants  entered  as  proba- 
tioners. At  the  present  time  Dr.  Passavant  has  an 
orphanage  in  Rochester,  Pa.,  where  the  one  remain- 
ing deaconess  of  the  original  four  from  Kaiserswerth 
still  resides.  He  has  an  infirmary  in  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
a  hospital  and  deaconess  home  in  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
the  Emergency  hospital  in  Chicago,  and  a  hospital  in 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.         239 

Jacksonville,  111.  He  has  accomplished  much  good, 
but  has  not  had  the  success  deserved.  The  work  has 
not  expanded,  and  no  complete  organization,  after  the 
German  type,  has  been  attained. 

Another  deaconess  institution,  of  later  origin  but 
greater  promise,  in  connection  with  the  Lutheran 
Church  is  located  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.  This  is  also 
an  off-shoot  of  the  Kaiserswerth  Institution.  The 
first  efforts  toward  securing  the  deaconesses  were 
made  by  Mr.  J.  D.  Lankenau  and  the  German  con- 
sul, Mr.  Charles  H.  Myer.  Their  services  were  de- 
sired in  the  German  hospital.  Deaconesses  arrived 
from  the  mother  house  in  June,  1884,  and  took 
charge  of  the  work  in  that  institution. 

A  mother  house  has  since  been  built  and  a  board 
incorporated,  consisting  of  nine  gentlemen,  to  take 
charge  of  the  administration  and  furtherance  of  this 
important  interest.  The  motlier  house,  which  is 
known  as  the  "  Mary  J.  Drexel  Home,"  stands  on 
the  grounds  of  the  hospital.  It  is  a  magnificent 
building  of  yellow  brick  and  marble  which  cost  a 
half  million  dollars,  probably  one  of  the  finest  build- 
ings ever  consecrated  as  a  deaconess  home.  It  has 
every  modern  improvement  adapted  to  its  purposes 
wdiich  science  could  suggest  or  money  procure.  It  is 
large  and  substantial,  beautiful  in  architectural  de- 
sign, and  will  be  a  lasting  monument  to  the  munifi- 
cence of  its  founder.  A  part  of  the  building  will  be 
occupied  as  a  hospital  for  women  and  children.     It 


240        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

has  a  beautiful  cliapel  where  divine  Avorship  is  daily 
celebrated.  It  is  under  the  spiritual  direction  of  the 
rector,  Rev.  A.  Cordes,  whose  rectory  stands  within 
the  inclosure.  This  clergyman  came  from  Germany, 
w^here  he  had  served  as  an  assistant  rector  in  a  sim- 
ilar institution.  A  part  of  his  work  is  the  instruction 
of  the  deaconesses  in  the  religious  and  technical  duties 
of  their  calling. 

The  rules  of  the  institution  are  the  same  as  those 
at  Kaiserswerth,  including  the  requirements  for  ad- 
mission, and  the  dress  worn.  Unmarried  women,  or 
widows  withont  children,  of  a  pious  mind,  unblem- 
ished reputation  and  good  health,  not  under  sixteen 
nor  above  forty  years  of  age,  are  received  as  proba- 
tioners. Having  served  one  year  or  more,  faithfully, 
the  probationer  is  received  and  consecrated  a  full 
deaconess  on  nomination  of  the  superior  deaconess 
and  tlie  vote  of  the  board. 

The  deaconess  does  not  receive  wages  for  her  serv- 
ices, but  the  mother  house  provides  for  all  her  neces- 
sities, including  a  regular  sum  for  pocket  money, 
enough  to  cover  all  her  little  personal  expenses.  If 
she  becomes  sick  or  disabled  in  the  practice  of  her 
calling,  she  is  cared  for  by  the  mother  house  as  long 
as  she  lives. 

The  institution  forms  one  family,  the  individual 
members  of  which  are  in  duty  bound  to  live  to- 
getlier  in  harmony,  endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity 
of  tlie  spirit   in   the    bond  of  peace,  and   to  avoid 


Deaconesses  m  the  United  States.        241 

every  thing  that  can  hinder  the  prosperity  of  the  sis- 
terhood. 

The  superior  has  the  direct  oversight  of  all  deacon- 
esses and  probationers.  All  must  follow  her  orders 
conscientiously.  She  must  especially  superintend 
tlie  preparation  and  training  of  probationers,  and 
when  they  are  considered  ready  for  it  she  must  pro- 
pose them  for  the  deaconess  office. 

At  the  present  time  (1889)  there  are  about  twelve 
deaconesses  and  twenty  probationers,  but  as  yet  only 
two  are  native  Americans.  On  January  13,  1889, 
the  first  consecration  of  deaconesses  occurred  in  the 
beautiful  chapel  of  the  home.  Catherine  Bossert, 
Lena  Rieger,  and  Marie  Sowa  were  the  candidates. 
Religious  services  were  conducted  by  the  rector, 
assisted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Spaeth.  Each  candidate  received 
the  regular  cap  and  a  silver  cross,  as  she  entered  the 
chapel,  and  all  were  consecrated  to  the  office  and 
work  of  the  diaconate  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  in 
the  presence  of  a  large  congregation,  including  the 
president  and  members  of  the  board.  The  founding 
and  endowment  of  the  institution  have  been  accom- 
plished by  the  liberality  of  Mr.  J.  D.  Lankenau; 
much  is  also  due  to  the  indefatigable  labors  of  Rev. 
A.  Spaeth,  D.  D.,  who  has  seen  his  hopes  realized  in 
its  establishment."^ 

*  See  Phebe  the  Deaconess,  by  Rev.  A.  Spaeth,  D.D. 


242        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modekn. 


The  Pkotestant  Episcopal  Chukch.* 

The  next  movement  in  the  order  of  time  Avas  by 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  This  step  was 
taken  in  connection  with  St.  Andrew's  parish  in  the 
city  of  Baltimore,  under  the  ministry  of  Kev.  Horace 
Stringfellow,  in  1855,  with  the  sanction  and  approval 
of  the  bishop  of  the  diocese.  Two  ladies  gave  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  ministering  to  the  poor.  A 
house  was  soon  secured  and  opened  under  the  name 
of  St.  Andrew's  Infirmary,  and  the  work  rapidly  grew. 
The  number  increased  to  four  resident  deaconesses 
and  four  associate  sisters.  The  following  extract  from 
an  early  report  shows  the  aims  and  work  of  the  insti- 
tution : 

"  The  deaconesses  look  to  no  organization  of  per- 
sons to  furnish  the  pecuniary  aid  required  by  the  de- 
mands of  their  position.  Their  first  efforts  have  been 
for  the  destitute  sick.  Out  of  the  house  they  minister 
daily  to  the  suffering  and  destitute  wherever  found ; 
some  only  requiring  temporary  medical  aid  and  nurs- 
ing; others,  wOiom  God  has  chastened  with  more  con- 
tinuous suffering,  requiring  in  their  penury  and 
desolation  constant  care  and  continuous  ministration." 

In  addition  they  have  two  schools,  one  for  vagrant 
children  and  one  for  the  children  of  the  Church  who 
may  be  committed  to  them.  A  beautiful  and  impres- 
sive form  for  setting  apart  a  deaconess  is  used,  and 

*  See  Potter,  Sisterhoods  and  Deaconesses,  and  tlie  Church  Cyclopoidia. 


DeACOX ESSES    IN    THE    ITxiTED    StATES.  24:3 

rules  of  discipline  and  forms  of  devotion  are  provided 
in  keeping  with  the  doctrines  and  usages  of  the  Church. 

These  rules  differing  somewhat  from  others,  we  ex- 
tract the  following : 

The  members  are  divided  into  three  classes :  (1.) 
The  United  Deaconesses ;  (2.)  Probationers  ;  (3.)  The 
Associate  Deaconesses.  Tlie  United  Deaconesses  are 
those  who,  having  passed  through  tlieir  probationary 
terms  and  contemplating  a  permanent  continuance  in 
the  order,  are  admitted,  upon  application  to  the  bish- 
op, by  a  unanimous  election  of  the  United  Deacon- 
esses. They  reside  in  the  parental  house,  unless, 
being  called  by  Providence  to  some  other  sphere  of 
duty,  they  depart  with  the  full  sanction  of  the  bishop 
and  of  the  order ;  they  then  retain  their  allegiance 
to  the  society,  are  subject  to  its  rule,  report  their 
work,  and  must  be  ready  to  be  recalled.  All  must 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  go  to  any  field  the 
bishop  may  send  them.  The  government  is  vested  in 
the  first  deaconess,  who  is  nominated  by  the  bishop 
and  elected  by  the  United  Deaconesses.  Each  lady 
is  furnished  Avith  $100  per  annum  for  personal  ex- 
penses and  private  charities,  while  in  active  service 
and  during  sickness  and  age  she  is  provided  for  by 
the  society.  All  are  forbidden  to  receive  compensa- 
tion, and  are  at  liberty  to  retire  six  months  after 
resignation  has  been  given  to  the  bishop. 

There  was  also  an  oro^anization  of  deaconesses 
effected  in   Mobile,  Ala.,  in  the  year  1S6J:,  by   the 


24:4:        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

bishop  of  tliat  diocese.  Originally  it  consisted  of 
*'  three  godly  women,"  who  associated  themselves 
under  the  bishop's  direction  and  supervision  for  what- 
ever labor  might  be  assigned  them.  Their  first  w^ork 
was  an  orphanage  and  boarding-school,  and  was  de- 
signed eventually  to  include  an  infirmary,  widows' 
house,  and  reformatory  asylum.  The  bishop  is  the 
rector  and  head  of  the  institution. 

There  is  a  form  of  service  for  the  reception  of  a 
probationer  and  also  for  the  reception  of  a  deaconess. 
The  whole  is  deeply  devotional  and  after  the  usual 
forms  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  We  here  give  a 
brief  form  of  prayer,  selected  from  among  others,  as 
indicative  of  the  woi'k  which  the  deaconess  is  ex- 
pected to  do  and  the  spirit  in  which  it  ought  to  be 
done : 

"  O  Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  who  dost  vouch- 
safe to  accept  and  bless  the  services  of  those  who  serve 
thee  with  a  willing  mind,  grant,  we  beseech  thee,  to 
this  thy  handmaiden  such  willingness  of  heart,  such 
humility  and  quietness  of  spirit,  such  sure  trust  and 
confidence  in  thy  love  and  favor,  such  simplicity  and 
sincerity  in  the  denial  of  self,  and  such  patient  endur- 
ance of  privation,  hardship,  thanklessness,  and  re- 
proach in  the  service  of  the  poor  and  the  little  ones  of 
thy  flock  as  may  obtain  thy  merciful  acceptance  and 
overflowing  blessing,  through  the  alone  merits  of 
Jesus  Christ,  thine  only  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour. 
Amen." 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.        245 

An  exhortation  is  addressed  to  the  candidates  in 
which  tliej  are  reminded  of  the  "  dignity  and  honor 
of  their  holy  calling  "  as  co-workers  with  God  in  his 
work  of  mercy  and  benevolence  to  our  fallen  race, 
and  that  they  "are  joined  in  companionship  with  the 
blessed  angels,  whose  employment  and  delight  it  is  to 
minister  unto  the  heirs  of  salvation."  To  live  in  an 
abiding  sense  of  their  holy  calling,  and  cultivate  in  an 
especial  manner  the  habit  of  devotion.  That  they 
should  look  upon  the  office  and  work  from  the  height 
of  eternity,  and  not  estimate  it  by  the  judgment  of 
the  world,  but  by  that  of  God  who  has  declared,  "  He 
that  winneth  souls  is  wise."  They  are  reminded 
that  they  will  have  great  need  to  daily  consider 
him — Christ — as  their  great  exemplar,  and  following 
him  in  his  labor  of  love  they  should  also  follow  him 
in  his  patience.  The  failure  of  the  world  rightly  to 
appreciate  the  labors  of  the  deaconess  is  thus  alluded 
to :  "  The  secret  of  your  strength  will  be  that  you 
look  not  to  the  world — which  cannot  fully  take  in  the 
tenor  of  your  mission,  not  even  to  those  for  whom 
you  labor,  for  they  cannot  comprehend  your  work 
of  disinterested  love — but  to  the  blessed  Jesus,  from 
whom  you  receive  the  Spirit  to  work  in  your  call- 
ing, whose  example  you  must  follow  and  whose  cross 
you  bear." 

The  Bishop  Potter  Memorial  House,  located  in 
Philadelphia,  in  connection  with  the  Episcopal  Hospi- 
tal, is  a  noble  institution.    It  is  not  a  deaconess  home, 


246        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

tliongli  organized  to  carry  on  the  distinctive  work  of 
deaconesses. 

A  probation  of  six  months  or  a  year  is  required  of 
those  who  enter.  At  the  end  of  that  period,  if  tlie 
candidate  is  adjudged  worthy,  her  special  line  of  duty 
is  determined.  The  services  of  the  members  are 
gratuitous.  Tliey  have  their  board  and  lodging  free 
of  expense,  when  necessary  ;  but,  as  the  house  is  sup- 
ported by  free-will  offerings,  each  member  is  ex- 
pected to  contribute  according  to  her  ability ;  if 
she  can  afford  it,  the  full  amount  of  the  cost  of  lier 
board,  especially  during  the  term  of  probation.  All 
members  fare  alike,  and  work  to  tlie  extent  of  their 
ability  in  designated  spheres.  The  house  is  not  in- 
tended as  an  asylum  for  the  homeless  or  world-weary, 
but  as  a  household  of  fresh,  loving  hearts,  strong  in 
all  their  powers  to 

"  Serve  the  Lord  with  gladness." 

The  work  is  divided  into  three  departments : 
Nursing,  mission  work,  and  parisli  schools.  The  term 
of  engagement  for  full  members  is  not  less  than  one 
nor  more  than  three  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which 
term  it  may  be  renewed  if  desired. 

This  is  in  every  sense  a  deaconess  home,  as  to  its 
aims  and  work,  without  the  distinctive  title  or  dress. 
The  work  is  for  the  sick  and  destitute,  the  iecnorant 
and  degraded.  It  has  accomplished  much  for  the 
bodies  and  souls  of  men.     No  distinctive   badire  is 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.        247 

worn.  Much  attention  is  paid  to  the  spiritual  in- 
struction of  the  people  and  many  souls  have  been  led 
to  Christ  by  the  instrumentality  of  the  members. 

The  work  and  organization  of  deaconesses  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  received  a  new  impetus 
in  1871.  In  1869  the  Board  of  Missions  appointed 
a  committee  to  report  at  the  next  annual  meeting 
^'  on  the  subject  of  organized  services  of  women  as  a 
most  important  feature  of  missionary  work."  This 
committee  presented  an  able  report  which  embodied 
the  "  General  Principles"  recommended  by  the  En- 
glish bisliops,  and  a  series  of  resolutions.  The  report 
w^as  accepted  imd  the  resolutions  were  adopted.  They 
recommended  the  "  ens>:raf tinsr "  of  such  orc^anizations 
of  women  upon  the  already  existing  missionary  organ- 
izations of  the  Church.  A  committee  was  appointed 
to  consider  the  propriety  of  o|)ening  institutions  for 
the  training  of  deaconesses.  The  interest  manifested 
in  this  report  and  the  zeal  with  which  the  work  was 
taken  up  were  indicative  of  large  accomplishments  in 
the  near  future,  but  which,  we  think,  has  scarcely 
been  realized  in  fact. 

Tlie  words  of  Dr.  Potter  indicate  a  correct  appre- 
ciation of  the  spirit  of  our  country  and  times.  ''Let 
it  only  be  distinctly  kept  in  view  that  the  American 
Church  has  recognized  and  accepted  such  organiza- 
tions as  agencies  for  a  higher  and  more  unreserved 
type  of  Christian  activity,  and  not  as  refuges  for  a 
merely  contemplative  pietism — as  enrolling  women  to 


248       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

be  true  yoke  fellows,  not  recluses ;  workers,  not 
dreamers — and  it  can  hardly  matter  greatly  by  what 
name  they  are  known  or  under  wdiat  particular  form 
of  commission  they  labor."  * 

Under  the  impulse  given  by  the  above  named  report, 
a  deaconess  association  connected  with  the  Diocese  of 
Long  Island,  was  organized  by  Bishop  Littlejohn  in 
1872.  He  says:  "Sunday,  February  11,  in  St. 
Mary's  Church,  Brooklyn,  I  publicly  admitted  six 
godly  and  well-tried  women  to  the  office  of  deacon- 
ess ;  and  on  the  evening  of  the  15th  of  March,  in 
Emanuel  Church,  Brooklyn,  one;  in  all  seven."  The 
rules  by  which  this  order  is  governed  are  for  the  most 
part  found  in  the  "General  Principles "f  above  men- 
tioned. As  to  the  efficiency  and  acceptability  of  their 
work  the  following  testimony  is  borne  :  "The  parish 
clergy  who  have  welcomed  them  to  their  side  as  fel- 
low-workers among  the  poor,  the  fallen,  and  the  suf- 
fering of  every  name,  bear  grateful  testimony  to  the 
value  of  their  unobtrusive,  obedient,  and  systematic 
service." 

There  is  a  "  form  of  admitting  deaconesses  to  their 
office."  It  is  concise,  appropriate,  and  beautiful.  It 
differs  somewhat  from  the  others  named,  and  is  dis- 
tinguished by  two  things.  The  bishop  takes  the  dea- 
coness by  the  right  hand  and  pronounces  this  blessing 
upon  her  : 

"God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy 

*  Sisterhoods  and  Deaconesses,  p.  13.  f  See  page  227. 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.        249 

Ghost  bless,  preserve,  and  sanctify  thee  ;  and  so  fill 
tliee  with  all  faith,  wisdom,  charity,  and  humility  that 
thou  mayest  serve  before  him  to  the  glory  of  his 
great  name  and  the  benefit  of  his  holy  Church,  and 
in  the  end  attain  to  everlasting  life  through  the 
merits  and  mediation  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.     Amen. 

''I  admit  thee,  dearly  beloved,  to  the  office  of  dea- 
coness, in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen."  Also,  at  the  close 
of  the  service,  the  bishop  uses  the  prayer  designated 
to  be  used  at  the  ordination  of  a  deaconess  in  the 
Apostolical  Con stitutions.^ 

The  following  hymn  is  also  used  : 

Hymn. 

"  How  blessed,  from  the  bonds  of  care 

And  earthly  fetters  free, 
In  singleness  of  heart  and  aim 

Thy  servants.  Lord,  to  be! 
The  hardest  toil  to  undertake, 

With  joj  at  thy  command, 
The  meanest  office  to  receive 

With  meekness  at  thy  hand  I 

"  With  willing  heart  and  longing  eyes 

To  watch  before  thy  gate, 
Ready  to  run  the  weary  race, 

To  bear  the  heavy  weight ; 
No  voice  of  thunder  to  expect, 

But  follow  calm  and  still, 
For  love  can  easily  divine 

The  One  Beloved's  will. 

*  See  page  83. 


250        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

"Thus  may  we  serve  tliee,  gracious  LordI 

Thus  ever  thine  alone ; 
Our  souls  and  bodies  given  to  thee, 

The  purcliase  thou  hast  won. 
Through  evil  or  through  good  report, 

Still  keeping  by  thy  side, 
By  life  or  death  in  this  poor  flesh 

Let  Christ  be  magnified ! 

"  How  happily  the  working  days 

In  this  dear  service  fly ! 
How  rapidly  the  closing  hour, 

The  time  of  rest,  draws  nigh  ! 
When  all  the  faithful  gather  home, 

A  joyful  companj' ; 
And  every-where  the  Master  is 

Shall  his  own  servants  be." 

In  addition  to  the  places  named,  the  order  is  also 
working  in  Louisiana,  and  associate  members  are 
laboring  in  many  other  dioceses. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  "setting  apart"  of 
women  to  the  office  of  deaconess  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  is  not  an  "ordination  by  the  impo- 
sition of  hands,"  bnt  simply  a  designation  to  the  work 
assigned  her  by  prayer  and  appropriate  religious  cere- 
mony. 

According  to  testimony  introduced  in  a  previous 
chapter.  Bishop  Tait,  of  London,  "duly  invested" 
Catherine  Elizabeth  Ferard  with  the  "  office  of  dea- 
coness." That  office  having  been  "  canonically  con- 
ferred," we  suppose  she  was  ordained  by  the  imposi- 
tion of  hands. 

In  the  form  of  service  for  the  reception  of  a  proba- 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.        251 

tioner,  as  used  in  the  Diocese  of  Alabama,  we  find 
great  liberty  accorded  to  women  in  conducting  relig- 
ious service.  The  rubric  says,  "  Should  the  rector  be 
absent  upon  the  admission  of  a  probationer,  let  the 
chief  deaconess  take  his  place  and  ask  the  questions, 
and  use  the  prayers  as  above  written."  This,  as  we 
believe,  eminently  proper  in  itself,  is  not  often  allowed 
either  in  episcopal  or  non-episcopal  churches.  We 
have  seen  that  in  Strasbarg  the  chief  ('eaconess  takes 
part  in  the  ordination  of  a  deaconess  by  the  laying  on 
of  hands,  with  the  rector ;  but  the  Kaisers werth  Con- 
ference decided  that  such  an  act  was  an  unwarranted 
innovation.  The  cases  are  not  parallel,  but  they  illus- 
trate each  other. 

In  treating  of  the  deaconess  institutions  in  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  it  is  proper  to  bear  in  mind 
that  they  are  no  part  of  the  Church  itself,  but  are 
associations  that  have  grown  up  within  it,  under  the 
fostering  care  of  the  bishops  who  have  seen  fit  to  or- 
ganize and  appoint  them  within  their  own  dioceses. 
They  are  not  enjoined  or  forbidden  by  the  canons, 
and  their  establishment  is,  therefore,  optional  with 
those  interested.  The  order  has  been  tentatively  em- 
ployed with  excellent  results ;  but  its  relation  to  the 
Church  has  never  been  fully  defined.  It  is  within 
the  bishop's  power  to  institute  it  and  have  it  as  a 
recognized  association  in  his  diocese ;  but  an  effort 
has  been  made  to  obtain  for  it  a  wilder  recoo^nition. 

In  1880  a  canon  presented  by  the  bishop  of  Massa- 


252       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modebn. 

cliusetts  was  accepted  by  a  large  majority  in  tlie  House 
of  Bishops;  but,  owing  to  the  late  date  of  the  session 
when  it  was  sent  to  the  Lower  House,  there  was  no 
time  to  consider  it,  and  the  subject,  owing  to  the  press 
of  other  business,  was  not  considered  at  the  conven- 
tion of  1^83.  But  this  proposed  canon  may  be  given 
as  the  deliberate  opinion  of  a  majority  of  the  bishops, 
and  is  the  latest  utterance  on  the  subject  with  which 
w^e  are  acquainted. 

"  Resolved^  The  House  of  Deputies  concurring, 
that  the  following  canon  be  enacted,  to  be  entitled 
Canon  vi  of  Title  iii,  '  Of  Organized  Religious  Soci- 
eties within  the  Church : '  .  .  . 

"  1.  Women  of  devout  character  and  approved  fit- 
ness may  be  set  apart  by  any  bishop  of  this  Church 
for  the  work  of  a  deaconess,  according  to  such  form  as 
may  be  authorized  by  the  House  of  Bishops,  or,  in 
default  thereof,  by  such  form  as  may  be  set  forth  by 
the  bishop  of  the  diocese. 

''  2.  The  duties  of  a  deaconess  are  declared  to  be 
the  care  of  our  Lord's  poor  and  sick,  the  education 
of  the  young,  the  religious  instruction  of  the  neg- 
lected, the  reclaiming  of  the  fallen,  and  other  works 
of  Christian  charity. 

"  3.  No  woman  shall  be  set  apart  for  the  w^ork  of  a 
deaconess  until  she  be  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
unless  the  bishop,  for  special  reasons,  shall  determine 
otherwise,  but  in  no  case  shall  the  age  be  less  than 
twenty-one  years.  The  bishop  shall  also  satisfy  himself 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.        253 

that  the  candidate  has  had  an  adequate  preparation 
for  the  work,  both  technical  and  rehgious,  which 
preparation  shall  have  covered  the  period  of  at  least 
one  year." 

We  omit  articles  numbered  4,  5,  6,  respectively,  as 
not  of  general  interest. 

Number  7  provides  that  "the  constitution  and 
rules  for  the  government  of  any  institution  for  the 
training  of  deaconesses,  or  of  any  community  in 
which  deaconesses  are  associated,  must  have  the  sanc- 
tion, in  writing,  of  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  in  whicli 
such  institution  or  connnunity  exists.  All  formula- 
ries of  common  worship  used  in  such  institution  or 
community  must  liave  the  like  sanction,  and  shall  be 
in  liarmony  with  the  usage  of  this  Church,  and  like 
the  principles  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer."  ^ 

The  German  Reformed  Church. 

In  1866  an  effort  was  made  to  revive  the  order  of 
deaconesses  in  the  German  Reformed  Church  in  the 
United  States. 

^'The  Hon.  J.  Dixon  Roman,  of  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land, gave  to  the  congregation  of  that  city  $5,000, 
and  with  it  sent  a  proposition  to  the  consistory  that, 
according  to  his  wish,  three  ladies  of  the  congregation 
should  be  chosen  and  ordained  to  the  order  of  dea- 
conesses in  the  congregation,  with  absohite  control  of 
the  income  of  said  fund  for  the  purposes  and  duties 
*  Church  Oydopcbdia,  art.  "  Deaconess." 


25-i       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

as  practiced  in  the  early  Clmrcli.  This,  witli  the  ac- 
tion of  the  Lebanon  classis,  which,  in  1867,  requested 
the  synod  to  take  into  consideration  tlie  propriety  of 
restoring  the  apostolic  office  of  deaconess,  brought 
the  question  before  the  highest  judicatory  of  the 
Church."  * 

The  question  has  not  been  disposed  of  up  to  this 
time  (1889).  It  has  been  agitated  at  diUerent  synods. 
A  paper  on  the  subject  was  read  before  the  synod  in 
1880,  and  a  proposition  was  made  to  amend  the  con^ 
stitution  of  the  Church,  establishing  the  otfice  of  dea- 
coness, but  it  w^as  voted  down,  the  synod  not  consid- 
ering such  action  called  for  at  that  juncture.  The 
matter  was  commended  to  the  favorable  consideration 
of  the  consistories,  but  no  action  has  been  taken  at 
any  subsequent  synod  and  the  office  is  not  recognized 
as  within  the  constitution  of  the  Church. 

The  Presbyterian  Church. 

This  laro^e  and  influential  communion  is  feelins"  the 
impulse  given  to  the  work  of  deaconesses  throughout 
the  Protestant  world.  But  up  to  this  time  little  has 
been  done  toward  the  establishment  and  developnient 
of  any  organization  for  the  training  of  women  for 
specific  work  in  the  Church.  Individual  pastors  and 
local  churches  have  taken  action,  but  they  are  isolated 
cases. 

At  the  Pan-Presbyterian  Council  held  in  Philadel- 

*  McClintock  and  Strong,  art.  "  Deaconess." 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.        255 

phia  in  1880,  Fritz  Fliedner,  son  of  Dr.  Fliedner, 
of  Kaiserswerth,  was  present  as  a  member.  Through 
his  influence,  the  German  Presbyterian  church  on 
Corinthian  Avenue,  February  7,  1881,  by  a  unanimous 
vote  placed  the  sick  of  the  congregation  under  the 
care  of  five  deaconesses,  whom  they  elected  and  ap- 
pointed. That  arrangement  still  exists,  and  gives 
great  satisfaction. 

A  class  has  been  fornied  by  the  pastor  to  be  trained 
in  cliurch  work,  and  from  this  suitable  persons  are 
selected  to  fill  the  office  when  vacancies  occur. 

In  California  some  Presbyterian  churches  have 
elected  ladies  for  a  certain  term  to  take  charge  of  the 
sick  and  poor,  and,  though  not  ordained  as  deaconesses, 
they  are  invested  with  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  that  office. 

The  subject  of  deaconesses  was  brought  before  tlie 
Pan-Presbyterian  Council  held  in  London,  in  1887, 
and  received  favorable  notice  and  commendation.  Dr. 
Charteris,  of  Edinburgh,  was  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee to  whom  the  matter  was  referred.  He  has  since 
written  upon  the  subject,  in  the  Preshyterian  Re- 
view of  April,  1888 :  "  It  appears,  therefore,  that 
the  time  has  fully  come  for  the  organization  of 
women's  work  by  the  churches  on  some  definite  prin- 
ciple. We  suggest  {rt)  that  in  every  congregation 
experienced  Christian  women  should  be  organized  for 
ministering  to  the  wants  of  the  sick  and  the  poor,  and 
for  guiding  the  inexperienced  of  their  own  sex.    After 


256        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

a  certain  time  of  service  such  experienced  women 
should  be  enrolled  by  the  Kirk  Session  as  those  who 
have  purchased  a  good  degree  by  their  self-denying 
labors.  We  suggest  {h)  that,  under  the  sanction  of 
the  presbytery  of  the  bounds,  trained  women-workers 
should  be  enrolled  as  deaconesses.  The  training  entit- 
ling a  woman  to  this  honor  and  designation  may  have 
been  acquired  in  her  own  sphere,  and  under  the  eye 
of  the  rulers  of  her  own  congregation,  or — whether 
wholly  or  partially — in  some  training  institution.  .  .  . 
There  are  in  Presbyterian,  as  in  other  Churches, 
women  who  would  gladly  devote  their  lives  to  Chris- 
tian work,  and  would  welcome  the  offer  of  a  home  in 
which  they  could  live,  near  which  they  could  usually 
work,  and  from  which  they  could  go  to  any  place, 
near  or  distant,  where  they  might  be  wanted  for  a 
longer  or  shorter  time. 

"  It  is  not  contemplated  that  any  one  would  be 
bound  or  pledged  to  continue  in  such  work  any  longer 
than  her  continued  free  will  prompts  her.  Any  one 
could  at  any  time  retire."  * 

At  the  close  of  his  article  Dr.  Charteris  makes  the 
following  points,  which  are  elaborated  and  sustained  : 

"  We  submit  that  such  a  scheme  is,  1.  Scriptural. 
2.  It  is  practical.  3.  It  is,  therefore,  within  the  sphere 
of  the  church's  duty.  4.  Though  new,  it  is  not  revo- 
lutionary or  novel." 

The  foregoing  indicates  something  practical  in  the 

*  Presbyterian  Beview,  1888,  p.  290. 


Deaconesses  in  the  United  States.        257 

near  future  by  the  Presbyterian  Church,  which  is 
strong  and  rich  in  material — wealth,  and  good  works — 
and  though  eminently  conservative  is  alert  and  aggres- 
sive. But  this  Church,  like  all  others,  waits  for  some 
development  among  the  people  before  it  provides  for 
the  restoration  of  this  form  of  Christian  labor  in  its 
organic  law.  The  spirit  of  God  moves  on  individual 
hearts  rather  than  on  corpoi'ate  bodies,  and  only  after 
an  idea  has  assumed  some  tangible  sliape  and  grown 
up  within  the  Church  does  she  recognize  it,  and  give 
it  a  name  and  a  place  and  bid  it  Godspeed. 

There  is  at  present,  in  tlie  book  of  government  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  no  autliorization  of  dea- 
conesses as  officers  of  the  church.  They  cannot, 
therefore,  be  elected  and  ordained  in  the  same  way 
that  a  deacon  or  elder  is,  but  they  can  be  appointed 
just  as  a  superintendent  of  a  Sunday-school  or  a  lady 
missionary  is  appointed.  The  Philadelphia  Presby- 
tery took  action  in  1887  looking  wuth  favor  upon  the 
appointment  of  deaconesses  in  this  sense,  making  the 
deaconess  an  officer  of  the  local  congregation  like  the 
Sunday-school  superintendent,  and  also  overtured  the 
assembly  to  consider  the  subject  of  making  deacon- 
esses officers  in  the  church  by  action  of  the  assemblies 
and  presbyteries. 


258        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modeen. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

DEACONESSES   IN  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

It  will  be  readily  conceded  that  no  branch  of  the 
Church  universal  has  ever  given  to  women  more  en- 
couragement or  greater  liberty  in  religious  labor 
tlian  Methodism.  This  was  a  striking  characteristic 
of  tlie  revival  in  the  eighteentli  century,  and  there 
have  come  down  to  us  the  names  of  many  eminent 
women  whose  characters  reflected  the  image  of  Christ, 
whose  zeal  and  devotion  glowed  with  intensity,  and 
whose  spirit  breathed  universal  love.  That  revival 
rekindled  the  fires  that  had  been  quenched  or  suffered 
to  burn  low  on  the  altars  of  Protestantism.  It  sent 
the  Church  back  to  primitive  doctrines  and  usages,  it 
was  a  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  hearts  of 
men  and  women,  and  under  its  power  they  proclaimed 
the  glad  tidings  of  salvation. 

In  the  economy  of  Methodism  women  are  admitted 
to  various  offices,  and  encouraged  to  labor  in  building 
up  the  kingdom  of  God.  They  are  frequently  ap- 
pointed class-leaders ;  and  probationers  and  Church 
members  are  committed  to  them  for  spiritual  over- 
sight and  direction.  As  the  leader  stands  related  to 
her  class,  the  functions  of  the  office  are  spiritual.    We 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chcech.      259 
do  Hot  claim  that  female  class-leaders  are  deaconesses. 


but  a  part  of  their  work  is  analogous  to  that  of  the  dea- 
coness. The  Book  of  Discipline  shows  tliis  :  "  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  leader  to  see  each  person  in  his  class  once  a 
week  at  least,  in  order  (1)  to  inquire  how  their  souls 
prosper;  (2)  to  advise,  reprove,  comfort,  and  exhort 
as  occasion  may  require;  (3)  to  receive  what  they  are 
willing  to  give  toward  the  relief  of  the  .  .  .  poor, 
...  to  inform  the  minister  of  any  that  are  sick." 
Though  these  prescribed  duties  may  bear  but  slight 
resemblance  to  the  duties  of  the  modern  deaconess, 
they  resemble  to  a  greater  degree  the  daties  of  the 
deaconess  of  the  early  Church,  who  had  charge  of  the 
poor  and  instructed  the  catechumens. 

In  the  early  days  of  Methodism  Mr.  Wesley  found 
the  sick  so  numerous  that  the  class-leaders  and  stew 
ards  were  not  able  to  visit  them  as  often  as  the  cir- 
cumstances deuianded ;  he  therefore  laid  the  matter 
before  the  societies  and  asked  for  help  from  any  wdio 
w^ere  willing  to  assist,  A  large  number  offered  them- 
selves for  this  service. 

Wesley  says,  "  I  chose  six  and  forty  of  them  whom 
I  judged  to  be  of  the  most  tender,  loving  spirit,  di- 
vided the  town  into  twenty-three  parts,  and  desired 
two  of  them  to  visit  the  sick  in  each  division. 

"  It  is  the  business  of  a  visitor  of  the  sick  to  see 
every  sick  person  in  his  district  thrice  a  week.  To 
inquire  into  tlie  state  of  their  souls  and  to  advise  them 
as  occasion  may  require.     To  inquire  into  their  dis- 


260       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


orders  and  procure  advice  for  tliem,  to  relieve  them 
if  tliej  are  in  want.  To  do  any  thing  for  them  which 
he  (or  she)  can  do.  Upon  reflection  I  saw  how  ex- 
actly in  this  also  we  had  copied  after  the  primitive 
Church,  What  are  the  ancient  deacons  ?  What  was 
Phoebe,  the  deaconess,  but  a  visitor  of  the  sick  ?  " 

Methodism  is  well  adapted  to  call  into  exercise  the 
varied  talents  of  its  female  members.  Its  organiza- 
tion is  peculiar.  It  divides  its  membership  into 
classes,  meeting  at  least  once  a  week,  at  which  time 
it  is  the  privilege  of  each  member  to  give  some  state- 
ment of  religious  experience,  and  the  duty  of  the 
leader  to  ''advise,  reprove,  comfort,  or  exhort  as  oc- 
casion may  recjuire."  This  contributes  to  the  devel- 
opment of  talent  by  inducing  thoughtful  self-exam- 
ination and  exhortation  for  the  edification  of  others. 
The  love-feast,  for  which  the  ancient  deaconess  made 
preparation,  is  perpetuated  in  Methodism,  and  is  a  re- 
lio:ious  service  in  which  the  talent  of  all  is  exercised 
to  edification  in  holy  song,  fervent  prayer,  and  joyful 
Christian  testimony. 

This  system  has  developed  the  talent  of  woman  to 
a  greater  degree  than  the  legislators  of  the  Church 
have  been  willing  to  recognize  or  provide  for  in  its 
organic  law.  They  have  been  slow  in  perception  and 
conservative  in  action.  In  tliis  to  a  certain  extent 
they  may  be  justified  ;  it  is  not  easy  to  correct  mis- 
takes or  take  away  privileges  once  granted.  But  the 
general  trend  of  the  Church  is  upward  and  onward  to 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chuech.      2G1 

a  just  equality  for  male  and  female  in  all  educational 
and  ecclesiastical  matters. 

The  women  of  tlie  Cliurcli  iu  general,  and  of  Amer- 
ican Methodism  in  particular,  have  been  struggling 
for  years  to  obtain  a  proper  recognition  of  their  talent, 
and  an  adequate  field  for  their  energies.  Not  in  the 
sense  that  they  have  been  oppressed,  but  in  that  they 
have  felt  conscious  of  a  mighty  power  for  usefulness 
in  the  kingdom  of  God,  if  the  way  could  be  opened 
and  they  could  obtain  authority  to  act.  On  this  point, 
however,  the  Church  has  been  conservative  from 
long  usage ;  its  traditions  for  ages  have  been  against 
the  public  labors  of  women  as  a  part  of  the  clergy 
or  as  having  any  specific  churchly  duties  or  functions 
to  which  they  should  be  appointed  by  ecclesiastical 
authority. 

From  earliest  ages  woman  has  been  placed  under 
great  political  disabilities,  and  the  same  regulation 
that  prevails  in  regard  to  the  political  franchise  has 
been  carried  into  the  Church,  and  its  corporate  power 
has  been  restricted  to  "  male  members,"  while  two- 
thirds  of  the  communicants,  the  piety,  the  intelli- 
gence, and  the  zeal  that  keeps  the  altar  fires  burning, 
belong  to  the  other  sex.  Christianity  has  benefited 
woman  immensely,  but  only  a  part  of  its  truth  has  as 
yet  been  recognized  and  applied.  But  the  day.  is 
dawning  wdien,  as  in  apostolic  times,  no  special  ac- 
count will  be  made  of  male  or  female  any  more  than 
of  Jew  or  Greek,  bond  or  free. 


2G2       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

The  AVonian's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  one  of 
the  grandest  organizations  known  in  the  Metliodist 
Episcopal  Church,  is  a  crystallization  of  that  power 
so  long  felt  and  ever  seeking  manifestation  in  out- 
ward form.  The  women  w^ere  impelled  forward  by  the 
love  they  bore  to  Christ  and  his  cause,  and  entered 
the  field  to  glean  after  the  reapers,  but  are  gathering 
and  binding  some  of  the  heaviest  sheaves. 

The  Womans'  Christian  Temperance  Union,  in- 
cluding all  denominations,  is  another  embodiment  of 
the  same  power.  It  was  born  of  the  Christian  zeal 
of  woman.  The  pent-up  agonies  of  the  soul  found 
vent  in  tears  and  prayers,  and  her  faith  and  hope 
crystallized  in  that  organization  which  now  directs 
the  energies  of  thousands  of  women  in  many  lines  of 
usefulness  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  revival  of  the  ancient  order  of  deaconesses  is 
a  movement  of  kindred  character.  It  received  its 
initial  impulse  from  the  labors  of  a  woman  whose  in- 
terpretation of  the  Holy  Scriptures  impelled  her  to 
break  through  the  conventionalities  of  -modern  so- 
ciety, to  visit  the  prisoners,  and  proclaim  the  word 
of  God.*  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  like  all 
others,  waited  until  God  moved  upon  the  hearts  of 
some  of  his  people  to  call  into  existence  something 
of.  tliis  order  before  it  opened  the  w\ay  by  ecclesias- 
tical law. 

The  lirst  effort  tow^ard  the  establishment  of  deacon- 
*  Elizabeth  Fry. 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.      263 

esses  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  in  con- 
nection with  its  German  mission.  This  was  natural. 
The  deaconess  institution  flourishes  on  German  soil, 
and  this  form  of  Christian  effort  being  so  largely  in 
use  by  all  Protestant  bodies  in  Germany  Methodism 
could  not  do  well  witliout  it.  The  Kaiserswerth 
deaconess  being  seen  in  all  the  large  cities  would  be 
a  constant  stimulus. 

The  work  commenced  in  1873,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Rev.  C.  Weiss,  with  two  Sisters.  The  number 
has  now  increased  to  nearly  one  hundred,  and  homes 
have  been  established  in  Frankfort,  Berlin,  Hara- 
buro:,  Zurich,  and  St.  Gall.  In  the  institution  in 
Frankfort  last  year  two  hundred  and  forty-six 
patients  were  nursed.  An  earnest  effort  is  also  made 
for  the  rescue  of  fallen  women,  and  for  the  comfort 
and  reformation  of  prisoners.  A  course  of  instruc- 
tion, both  religious  and  technical,  is  given  to  the 
deaconess.  Additional  buildings  have  recently  been 
secured  in  Frankfort  and  Hamburg  to  accommodate 
the  increasing  work.  The  institution  has  so  far  com- 
mended itself  to  the  city  and  government  authorities 
as  to  secure  for  the  deaconesses  the  free  use  of  gov- 
ernment and  street  railroads.  They  are  respected 
and  loved  for  their  works'  sake,  and  their  lives  of 
sacrifice  and  service  among  the  poor  win  souls  for 
the  Saviour,  whose  Spirit  prompts  them,  and  whose 
cause  they  serve. 

This  work  in  our  German  mission  prompted  the 


264       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

lionie  Church  to  efforts  in  the  same  direction.  It 
lias  often  been  remarked  that,  at  the  inception  of  any 
great  movement  which  the  Church  seems  to  de- 
mand, the  thouglit  is  laid  on  the  hearts  of  God's  peo- 
ple in  different  places  at  the  same  time ;  at  lengtli  it 
takes  root  in  some  mind  and  heart,  and  assumes  defi- 
nite form. 

Mrs.  Lucy  Rider  Meyer,  of  Chicago,  will  be  honored 
as  the  first  person  who  gave  this  work  practical  shape 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States.  We  believe  it  is  destined  to  be  of  such  ujag- 
nitude  as  will  forever  render  her  name  distinguished 
in  the  annals  of  Methodism.  Mrs.  Meyer  is  the 
principal  of  Tlie  Chicago  Training  School  for  City, 
Home,  and  Foreign  Missions. 

The  object  of  this  school  is  thus  stated : 

"  This  institution  was  established  to  increase  the 
number  and  efficiency  of  evangelistic  workers,  in 
both  home  and  foreign  fields,  and  to  utilize  the  un- 
directed or  misdirected  energies  of  Christian  women 
in  active  religious  work.     Its  specific  objects  are  : 

"  1.  To  give  to  any  one  who  desires  it,  whether  in- 
tending to  enter  the  missionary  field  or  not,  a  broad, 
basal  knowledge  of  th^  word  of  God. 

"  2.  To  afford  a  thorough  drill  in  methods  of 
teaching. 

"  3.  To  give  general  information  concerning  mis- 
sionary fields,  including  statistics  and  a  knowledge  of 
the  habits,  customs,  and  religions  of  the  people. 


In  the  Metfiodist  Episcopal  Church.      265 

"  4.  To  afford  an  opportunity  for  courses  of  lect- 
ures on  elementary  medicine  and  nursing. 

"5.  To  give  practical  training  in  the  missionary 
work  of  our  large  city,  by  industrial  schools  and  house- 
to-house  visitation  among  the  neglected  classes. 

^'  6.  To  furnish  a  true  home  under  Christian  and 
missionary  influences  for  our  students,  and  to  give 
practical  training  in  domestic  work  and  management, 
under  the  care  of  a  competent  matron. 

*'  7.  To  test  those  offering  themselves  for  home  or 
foreign  missionary  fields,  both  as  to  physical  strength, 
mental  fitness,  and  consecrated  purposes. 

"  8.  To  aid  churches  and  pastors  in  the  present 
great  emergency  in  city  missionary  work." 

This  institution  is  kindred  in  character  and  work  to 
a  deaconess  home,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  one  grew 
out  of  the  other.  The  first  direct  effort  at  deacon- 
esses' work  in  connection  with  the  above  school  was  in 
the  summer  of  1887.  Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Meyer  an  average  of  eight  consecrated  women 
remained  in  the  city  of  Chicago  during  the  intense 
heat  of  the  summer  months,  working  without  salary 
among  the  needy  poor  and  sick. 

"  During  these  three  summer  months  2,751  re- 
ligious calls  were  made,  many  sick  and  destitute 
were  found  and  cared  for,  and  in  468  homes  the 
Bible  was  read  and  prayer  offered.  Moreover,  many 
children  w^ere  led  to  the  Sunday-school,  many  more 
were  taught  there,  and  some  of  them  were  led  to 


266       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

accept  Christ  as  their  personal  Saviour.  The  whole 
expense  of  the  work  during  these  three  months  was 
$360  35,  and  the  receipts  were  $366  90,  leaving  a 
balance  of  $6  Ij5  in  the  Treasury.  Every  dollar  of 
this  was  given  voluntarily." 

The  scenes  of  suffering  and  destitution  discovered 
by  these  visitations  in  the  homes  of  tlie  poor,  excited 
the  ladies  to  a  renewed  effort  in  the  same  direction, 
and  to  a  determination,  if  possible,  to  continue  and 
enlarge  the  work.  The  first  annual  report  makes  the 
following  statement : 

"  As  the  fall  came  on  and  the  school  building  was 
filled  with  students,  the  executive  committee  were 
forced  to  face  the  question.  Whether  the  deaconess 
work  should  be  abandoned,  or  larger  financial  respon- 
sibility incurred.  The  great  and  almost  unoccupied 
field  before  sucli  workers,  the  lack  of  other  organiza- 
tion for  city  mission  work,  and  especially  the  signifi- 
cant fact  that  women  were  found — both  graduates 
from  the  school  and  others — willing  to  devote  their 
time  to  the  work  without  salary — these  all  appealed 
so  loudly  to  the  committee  that  they  voted  to  con- 
tinue the  work  '  so  long  as  God  should  incline  the 
hearts  of  his  people  to  support  it.'  A  flat  was 
rented,  furniture  donated,  and  the  work  w\^s  there 
carried  on  during  the  winter  of  1887-88  under  the 
wise  matronship  of  Miss  Isabella  Thoburn,  tempo- 
rarily home  from  India. 

"  May  1,  1888,   the  rented  house  was  given  up, 


In  THE  Methodist  Episcopal  Chuech.      267 

and  the  deaconesses  are  accommodated  again  during 
the  school  vacation  in  the  convenient  Training 
School  building.  But  a  decided  step  has  now  been 
taken  to  give  them  a  permanent  home.  The  build- 
ing next  door  to  the  Training  School  has  been 
purcliased  for  them,  and,  while  not  yet  paid  for,  a 
beginning  lias  been  made  in  that  direction.  One 
lady  gave,  entirely  unsolicited,  nearly  five  thousand 
dollars,  and  in  the  morning  mail  the  very  day  these 
lines  are  being  penned,  a  five  hundred  dollar  check, 
from  another  lady,  was  modestly  inclosed  in  a  plain 
white  envelope.  This  gift  also  was  entirely  unsolic- 
ited. With  such  tokens  of  good  fi'om  the  Lord  may 
we  not  confidently  expect  '  all  we  need  ? '  " 

The  dates  above  given  show  that  this  institution  is 
in  its  infancy,  but  its  foundations  have  been  laid  in 
faith  and  prayer ;  and  its  earnest  appeals  are  elicit- 
ing such  responses  from  the  Church  as  indicate  a 
grand  future,  and  great  usefulness. 

The  annual  expenditure  for  each  deaconess  en- 
gaged in  the  work  is  about  $250 ;  and  an  effort  is 
being  made  to  secure  supporting  patrons  who  will 
put  a  substitute  into  the  field.  This  will  certainly 
commend  itself  to  the  pious  and  afilnent.  In  the 
nation's  crisis  substitutes  took  the  place  of  men  who 
could  not  enter  the  ranks ;  they  did  good  service  in 
the  country's  hour  of  need ;  so  in  this  moral  conflict 
the  wealthy  women  of  the  Church  should,  and  doubt- 
less will,  furnish  the  means  to  send  those  sisters  into 


268       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

the  field  who  have  no  domestic  ties  to  bind  them  to 
home  and  family. 

"  The  members  in  the  home  are  divided  into  two 
classes  for  their  work  :  those  who  are  being  sent  out 
as  nurses  among  the  sick,  and  those  who  do  visiting 
and  teaching,  conducting  mothers'  and  children's 
meetings.  For  these  services  the  workers  receive 
only  their  board  and  expenses,  some  even  paying 
their  board  or  expenses,  or  both."  Such  is  the  origin 
of  the  first  deaconess  home  connected  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States. 

Tlie  need  of  these  Christian  workers  was  sorely 
felt  in  our  foreign  missions.  The  want  was  sup- 
plied in  our  German  work.  The  matter  had  long 
rested  upon  the  mind  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Thoburn,  now 
Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India. 
He  had  seen  the  necessity  of  increasing  the  force  of 
female  workers  and  of  enlarging  their  sphere  in 
evangelistic  work  in  connection  with  missions  in 
India. 

In  1888  the  Church  was  ready  for  an  onward 
movement,  and  for  a  recognition  of  the  deaconess  as 
a  church  official,  and  one  of  its  working  forces.  At 
the  General  Conference,  held  in  New  York,  May, 
1888,  the  subject,  with  all  papers  relating  thereto, 
was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Missions,  of 
wdiom  Dr.  Thoburn  w^as  chairman.  The  committee 
reported  the  following,  which  was  adopted,  and  is 
now  the  law  of  the  Church : 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chukch.      260 

"  Deaconesses. 

"  1.  The  duties  of  the  deaconesses  are  to  minister 
to  the  poor,  visit  the  sick,  pray  with  the  dying,  care 
for  the  orphan,  seek  the  wandering,  comfort  the  sor- 
rowing, save  the  sinning,  and  relinquishing  wholly  all 
other  pursuits,  devote  themselves,  in  a  general  w^ay, 
to  such  forms  of  Christian  labor  as  may  be  suited  to 
their  abilities. 

"  2.  1^0  vow  shall  be  exacted  from  any  deaconess, 
and  any  one  of  their  number  shall  be  at  liberty  to 
relinquish  her  position  as  a  deaconess  at  any  time. 

"  3.  In  every  Annual  Conference  within  which 
deaconesses  may  be  employed,  a  Conference  board  of 
nine  members,  at  least  three  of  whom  shall  be 
w^omen,  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Conference  to  ex- 
ercise a  general  control  of  the  interests  of  this  form 
of  work. 

''4.  This  board  shall  be  empowered  to  issue  cer- 
tificates to  duly  qualified  persons,  authorizing  tliem 
to  perform  the  duties  of  deaconesses  in  connection 
with  the  Church,  provided  that  no  person  shall  re- 
ceive such  certificate  until  she  shall  have  serv^ed  a 
probation  of  two  years  of  continuous  service,  and 
shall  be  over  twenty -five  years  of  age. 

"5.  Ko  person  shall  be  licensed  by  the  Board  of 
Deaconesses  except  on  the  recommendation  of  a 
Quarterly  Conference,  and  said  Board  of  Deacon- 
esses shall  be  appointed  by  the  Annual  Conference 
18 


270         Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

for  such  term  of  service  as  the  Annual  Conference 
shall  decide,  and  said  board  shall  report  both  the 
names  and  work  of  such  deaconesses  annuallj',  and 
tlie  approval  of  the  Annual  Conference  shall  be  nec- 
essary for  the  continuance  of  any  deaconess  in  her 
work. 

"  6.  When  working  singh^  each  deaconess  shall  be 
under  the  direction  of  the  pastor  of  the  church  with 
which  she  is  connected.  When  associated  together  in 
a  home,  all  the  members  of  the  home  shall  be  subordi- 
nate to  and  directed  by  the  superintendent  placed  in 

^^^^S^'  "  J.  M.  Thoburn,  Chairman. 

"  A.  B.  Leonard,  Secretary.''^ 

This  was  incorporated  in  the  Book  of  Discipline, 
and  must  for  four  years  remain  the  law  under  which 
the  Church  will  act. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  deaconess,  like  all 
officers  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  having 
ministerial  functions,  originates  in  the  Quarterly 
Conference,  and  it  must  be  in  this  body  that  the 
religious  qualiHcations  of  the  applicant  will  be  ad- 
judged. 

In  other  Churches  the  applicant  must  bring 
among  other  testimonials  a  certificate  of  baptism 
and  a  certificate  from  her  pastor.  It  must  not  be 
supposed  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is 
less  cautious  than  others  about  the  religious  attain- 
ments of  candidates  for  the  office  because  the  law 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.      271 

does  not  specify  any  moral  standard.  "  'No  person 
sliall  be  licensed  by  the  Board  of  Deaconesses  except 
on  the  recommendation  of  a  Quarterly  Conference." 
This  body  consists  of  every  officer  of  the  local  cluirch, 
and  is  presided  over  by  the  presiding  elder,  who  is  a 
member  of  the  bishop's  cabinet  or  council.  This 
body,  following  the  analogy  furnished  by  the  licensing 
of  local  preachers,  will  inquire  into  ''  the  gifts,  grace, 
and  usefulness'-  of  such  candidate,  and  the  way  will 
be  rigidly  barred  against  all  who  cannot  furnish  sat- 
isfactory evidence  of  a  good,  clear,  religious  experi- 
ence and  a  pure  moral  life. 

The  law  may  not  be  all  that  is  necessary  for  the 
proper  development  of  the  institution,  but  time  and 
experience  will  suggest  what  is  best,  and  the  law  can 
be  changed  from  time  to  time  to  meet  the  demands 
of  the  work.  The  great  thing  is  to  have  the  order  rec- 
ognized as  a  part  of  the  organized  Church.  However 
defective  the  law  may  be,  the  germ  of  something  great 
is  in  it.  The  details  of  dress  and  pay  and  educational 
qualifications  were  wisely  left  to  the  local  boards  and 
for  future  consideration. 

The  first  paragraph  on  "  the  duties  of  the  dea- 
coness" recognized  the  line  of  work  to  which  she  has 
been  assigned  in  all  the  ages.  A  ministry  to  the  poor, 
the  sick,  the  orphan,  the  wandering,  the  sorrowing, 
and  the  sinning.  She  will  not  supersede  nor  take 
the  place  of  other  Christian  women  in  these  lines  of 
labor:  thousands  have  rendered  most  valuable  service, 


272        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

and  thousands  more  will  follow  in  this  consecration 
to  Christ  and  his  representatives  ;  but  she  will  be 
distinguished  from  them  in  that  slie  will  relinquish 
"  wholly  all  other  pursuits,"  and  devote  herself  ''  in  a 
general  way  to  such  forms  of  Christian  labor  as  may 
be  suited  to  her  abilities." 

The  second  paragraph  forbids  the  exaction  of  vows. 
This  is  in  accordance  with  the  best  view  of  Christian 
truth  and  propriety.  It  is  Protestant  in  principle, 
and  in  keeping  with  the  freedom  of  the  days  in  which 
we  live. 

The  other  paragraphs  define  the  relation  of  the 
deaconess  to  the  Church  and  the  method  of  selection 
and  appointment,  and  are  more  liable  to  change  as 
the  organization  is  perfected  and  the  work  of  the 
order  developed. 

As  the  Deaconess  Home  in  connection  with  the 
Chicago  Training  School  for  Home  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sions was  in  successful  operation  before  the  enactment 
of  the  law  by  the  General  Conference,  it  was  natural 
that  the  Rock  River  Conference,  within  whose  bounds 
it  is  located,  should  take  the  initiative  under  the  law. 
This  they  did.  At  the  conference  held  October,  1888, 
a  "  Conference  board  of  nine  members  "  was  appointed 
^'  to  exercise  a  general  control  of  the  interests  of  this 
form  of  work."  Several  other  Conferences,  including 
Philadelphia,  have  followed  the  example.  Deaconess 
homes  are  now  being  established  in  'New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Cincinnati,  and  other  great  centers  of 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chttrch.       273 

population,  east  and  west,  of  wliicli  it  is  now  too  early 
to  speak  in  detail.  The  Elizabetli  Gamble  Deaconess 
Home  lias  been  founded  in  Cincinnati  by  Mr.  Gamble 
as  a  monnioent  to  the  memory  of  his  sainted  wife, 
whose  name  it  bears.  It  is  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  Miss  Isabella  Thoburn,  for  many  years  a  suc- 
cessful missionary  in  India.  On  account  of  the  wide- 
spread interest  and  the  inauguration  of  a  number  of 
deaconess  homes,  a  conference  was  called  of  all  who 
were  practically  interested  in  the  work,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  promoting  uniformity  in  methods  of  proced- 
ure in  the  incorporation  of  the  institutions,  courses  of 
stud}^,  dress,  etc.  They  met  in  Chicago,  December  20 
and  21,  1888,  when  the  following  plan  was  adopted 
and  recommended  to  all  similar  institutions  : 

I.  Deaconess  Homes. 

1.  That,  wlierever  practicable,  every  deaconess 
home  be  incorporated. 

2.  That  the  form  of  constitution  adopted  embody 
the  following  provisions : 

a.  The  corporate  or  other  name  of  this  institution 
is  the Deaconess  Home  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

5.  The  object  for  which  this  institution  is  estab- 
lished is  to  promote  the  work  of  deaconesses  as  recog- 
nized by  the  Discipline  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  ;  to  provide  homes  for  them  ;  to  give  neces- 
sary support  and  instruction  to  them ;  and,  as  far  as 


274:       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

practicable,  to  provide  for  siicli  forms  of  Cliristian 
charity  as  may  be  developed  in  the  prosecution  of 
their  work. 

c.  If  incorporated,  the  number  of  trustees  of  this 
institution  sliall  be  not  less  than  nine  nor  more  than 
thirteen,  at  least  two  thirds  of  whom  shall  be  mem- 
bers in  good  standing  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  of  whom  not  less  than  five  shall  consti- 
tute a  quorum. 

d.  The  mode  of  election  and  perpetuation  of  trus- 
tees to  be  in  conformity  with  State  law. 

3.  That,  in  addition  to  such  other  meetings  as  may 
be  jointly  held,  the  trustees,  or  conti'oUing  board,  of 
each  deaconess  home  annually  meet  with  the  Board  of 
Deaconesses  of  the  Conference  within  the  bounds  of 
which  it  is  located,  at  wliicli  time  a  full  report  of  the 
work  of  the  home  for  the  year  preceding  shall  be 
presented. 

4.  That  no  change  of  the  general  policy  or  manage- 
ment of  a  deaconess  liome  be  made  without  the  con- 
sent of  at  least  two  thirds  of  the  Board  of  Deaconesses 
of  the  Conference  within  the  bounds  of  which  it  is  lo- 
cated. 

II.  Conditions  of  Admission. 

A.  Age,  etc. 

1.  That  all  applicants  be  received  on  three  months' 
trial,  more  or  less,  at  the  option  of  the  trustees  or 
managers,  during  which  time  they  are  to  receive  their 
board,  if  desired. 


Ik  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chukch.      275 

2.  After  serving  satisfactorily  on  trial  tliej  may  be 
admitted,  if  of  sufficient  age,  as  probationers,  or  if  less 
than  twenty-tliree  years  of  age  as  members,  of  the 
home,  provided  they  be  not  deemed  eligible  to  proba- 
tion for  the  office  of  deaconess  until  twenty-three 
years  of  age ;  and  provided,  further,  that  it  be  their 
intention  to  ultimately  seek  entrance  into  the  office 
of  deaconess. 

3.  That  none  be  admitted  as  candidates  who  are 
more  than  forty  years  of  age,  except  by  unanimous 
consent  of  the  trustees  or  managers. 

4.  That  those  admitted  into  a  deaconess  home  con- 
sent to  observe  the  established  rules  and  regulations 
and  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  superintendent, 
cheerfully  giving  all  their  time  to  the  work  assigned 
them  as  visitors  and  nurses  or  to  the  prescribed  prep- 
aration for  work. 

B.  Dress. 

That  a  simple  uniform  be  worn,  sufficient  for  pro- 
tection and  recognition  in  their  work,  and  that  the 
same  uniform  be  adopted  by  all  deaconess  homes. 

C.  Support. 

1.  That  approved  applicants  may  be  admitted  as 
members  of  the  home  on  one  of  the  following  condi- 
tions : 

a.  That  they  pay  their  board  and  expenses. 

h.  Tliat  they  pay  their  expenses  only. 

G.  That  they  pay  neither  their  board  nor  ex- 
penses. 


276       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

2.  That  candidates  under  the  hast  condition  be  enti- 
tled to  comfortable  maintenance  and  clothina:  durino: 
their  connection  with  the  home,  in  conformity  with 
its  regulations. 

3.  That  no  salaries  be  paid,  but  the  work  of  the 
deaconesses  be  on  the  basis  of  self-sacrifice  "for 
Jesus'  sake." 

4.  That  none  solicit  money  unless  duly  author- 
ized. 

5.  That  all  donations  and  money  received,  where 
service  is  rendered,  be  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the 
home,  to  be  applied  toward  its  expenses. 

In  the  absence  of  any  specification  by  the  Disci- 
pline, as  to  the  standard  of  preparation  required,  we 
recommend  the  following : 

III.  Course  of  Study  and  Plan  for  Training. 

1.  That  the  two  years  of  "continuous  service"  re- 
quired by  the  Discipline  be  spent  in  careful  training 
whenever  possible,  in  a  training-school,  or  such  liter- 
ary institution  as  shall  make  provision  for  the  course 
of  study  recommended,  residence  being,  so  far  as  pos- 
sible, in  a  deaconess  home ;  or,  in  case  of  such  as  are 
making  special  preparation  for  becoming  trained 
nurses,  in  a  hospital. 

2.  For  both  classes  the  first  year's  training 
si  1  all  be  mainly  theoretical,  and  the  second  year's 
practical. 

3.  Subjects  for  study  and  reading; 


In  the  Mf:thodist  Episcopal  Church.      277 

First  Year. 

a.  Bj  those  not  preparing  to  become  trained  nurses : 

(1.)  English  Bible,  book  by  book. 

(2.)  The  Discipline. 

(3.)  Catechism  No.  3. 

(4.)  Theological  Compend. — Binney. 

(6.)  Smaller  History  of  the  Bible. — Smith, 

(6.)  Life  of  Qlirhi.— Stalker. 

(7.)  Bible  Geography. — Hudlut. 

(8.)  Church  History. — Hurst. 

(9.)  Compendium  of  Metliodism. — Porter. 

h.  To  be  studied  by  those  preparing  to  become 
trained  nurses : 

(1.)  The  English  Bible,  book  by  book. 

(2.)  The  Discipline. 

(3.)  Catechism  No.  3. 

(4.)  Physiology. — Hutchinson. 

(5.)  Clara  Week's  Nursing  Manual. 

(6.)  New  Haven  Nursing  Manual. 

And  the  theoretical  instruction  prescribed  by  the 
faculty  of  any  standard  training-school  for  nurses,  to- 
gether with  such  practical  work  in  the  hospital  wards, 
under  the  superintending  nurse,  as  does  not  seriously 
conflict  with  the  course  of  study. 

c.  Eecom mended  to  be  read  : 

(1.)  The  Philosophy  of  the  Plan  of  Salvation.— 
Walker. 

(2.)  How  to  Study  the  Bible.— J/oo%. 


278       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

(3.)  Life  of  Elizabeth  Fry. 

(4.)  The  Christian's  Secret  of  a  Happy  Life. — 
Smith. 

(5.)  Una  and  Her  Paupers. 

Second  Year. 

a.  With  the  practical  work  of  this  year  the  fol- 
lowing course  of  reading  to  be  pursued  by  both 
classes : 

(1.)  Life  of  Christ. — Geihie. 

(2.)  Life  of  John  Wesley. —  Watson. 

(3.)  Life  of  Sister  Dora. 

(4.)  Woman  and  Temperance. — Frances  E.  Wil- 
lard. 

(5.)  Women  of  Methodism. 

(6.)  Outlines  of  the  AVorld's  History. — Swinton. 

(7.)  School  History  of  the  United  States. — Bid- 
jpath. 

(8.)  How  we  Live  ;  or,  The  Human  Body,  and  How 
to  Take  Care  of  It. 

(9.)  Quiz  Compend.  on  Obstetrics. — Landls.  (For 
nurses  only.) 

h.  Recommended  to  be  read  : 

(1.)  Ages  before  Moses. — Gibson. 

(2.)  The  Mosaic  Age. —  Gibson. 

(3.)  Life  of  Paul. — Conybeare  and  Howson. 

(4.)  Butler's  Analogy. 

4.  Candidates  preparing  for  work  among  foreign- 
speaking  people,  at  home  or  abroad,  are  recommended 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.      279 

to  make  preparation  in   the  language,  etc.,  of  those 
among  whom  thej  expect  to  labor. 

5.  That  no  license  be  issued  by  any  Conference 
Board  of  Deaconesses  until  a  satisfactory  written  exam- 
ination has  been  passed  in  all  the  subjects  of  study,  and 
also  in  the  rudiments  of  a  common-school  education. 
.  6.  That  the  certificate  of  a  regular  physician  to  the 
good  health  of  the  candidates  be  also  required  as  a 
condition  for  license. 

7.  That  the  recommendation  of  a  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence be  required  before  one  be  deemed  a  deaconess 
probationer,  and  that  in  all  cases  a  certificate  from  a 
Quarterly  Conference  as  to  two  years'  continuous  serv- 
ice be  required  before  license  be  granted  to  a  deaconess. 

While  recognizing  the  importance  of  developing 
training-schools  at  several  important  points,  where 
there  may  be  exceptional  advantages  for  such  pur- 
poses, it  is  earnestly  recommended  that  training-schools 
be  not  indiscriminately  multiplied. 

The  Chicago  Training  School  for  City,  Home,  and 
Foreign  Missions  being  in  successful  operation,  and 
the  curriculum  essentially  covering  that  recommended 
for  deaconesses,  we  earnestly  recommend  that,  pend- 
ing the  establishment  of  other  similar  schools,  appli- 
cants for  deaconesses'  license  take  the  first  year's  train- 
ing at  the  Chicago  Training  School. 

Chas.  R.  Nokth,  Chairman, 

New  York  city. 

J.  Shelly  Meyee,  Secretary,  Chicago,  III. 


280        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

This  conference  we  regard  as  a  very  important 
step  connected  with  the  general  movement,  and  its 
results  will  be  sufficient  to  guide  in  the  establishment 
of  homes  and  the  development  of  the  deaconess  work 
"until  the  next  General  Conference. 

There  are  some  features  in  the  above  plan  which 
are  worthy  of  remark  : 

Deaconess  Homes. 
The  object  for  which  this  institution  is  established 
is  to  promote  the  work  of  deaconesses  as  recog- 
nized by  the  Discipline  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  This  work  is  clearly  defined  in  the  first 
paragraph  of  the  law;*  also,  "to  provide  homes  for 
them."  In  every  large  city  where  a  home  is  es- 
tablished, that  home  will  be  the  center  whence  all 
the  deaconesses  will  go,  and  to  which  they  will  re- 
turn from  the  nursing,  teaching,  or  mission  work  in 
which  they  are  severally  engaged.  Experience  has 
shown  that  greater  progress  in  knowledge  and  work 
is  made  by  the  deaconesses  thus  associated  than  when 
they  are  separated  and  working  alone.  In  large  cities, 
where  many  churches  are  located,  the  parish  deacon- 
ess assigned  to  a  single  church  can  devote  herself  to 
one  congregation  and  have  her  home  in  the  institu- 
tion. Even  where  this  cannot  be  the  case,  if  sent  to 
some  distant  station  she  will  retain  her  afifection  and 
interest  in  the  institution  where  she  was  trained  and 
*  Discipline,  ^  207. 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.      281 

where  her  first  associations  in  the  diaconate  were 
formed.  The  esprit  de  corps  will  be  maintained,  and, 
wherever  sent  to  labor,  the  deaconesses  will  be  a  band 
of  sisters  bound  bj  mutual  ties.  The  corporate  feel- 
ing will  be  strong  though  the  members  be  scattered. 
"The  emblem  of  the  dove  with  the  olive  branch,  which 
is  a  familiar  wood-cut  on  the  printed  papers  of  Kai- 
serswerth,  is  suggestive  not  only  of  the  character  and 
mission  of  those  who  are  sent  forth,  but  of  the  home 
to  which  all  of  them  belong,"  and  to  which  thej  gladly 
return. 

A  wide  field  for  the  philanthropy  of  the  Church  is 
suggested  in  the  plan  when  it  declares  the  object  of 
the  home  to  be,  as  far  as  practicable,  "  to  provide  for 
such  forms  of  Cliristian  charity  as  may  be  developed 
in  the  prosecution  of  their  work." 

Around  the  deaconess  institutions  of  Germany  and 
England  various  forms  of  charitable  work  have  been 
organized,  such  as  hospitals,  schools,  orphanages, 
homes  for  the  aged,  etc.  These  serve  more  than  one 
object.  They  are  benevolent  and  Christian  in  their 
purpose,  offering  relief  to  the  poor  and  suffering,  and 
are  training-places  for  probationers  and  deaconesses, 
who  there  learn  by  practice  the  art  of  ministering  to 
the  sick  in  body  and  mind. 

Does  it  not  seem  providential  that  in  Methodism 
the  deaconess  movement  and  the  establishment  of 
hospitals  and  orplianages  are  coeval  ?  In  the  future, 
no  doubt,  the  one  will  be  closely  related  to  the  other. 


282       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


The  deaconess  home  seems  to  be  the  necessary  com- 
plement to  the  hospital. 

The  care  and  support  of  the  indigent  sick  and  the 
healing  of  the  maladies  that  afflict  mankind  is  a  work 
that  pecnliarly  belongs  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  A 
careful  reading  of  the  Bible  will  show  how  closely 
the  work  of  the  promised  Messiah,  the  man  Christ 
Jesus,  was  connected  with  the  alleviation  of  physical 
misery,  as  well  as  bringing  salvation  to  the  lost. 
That  he  should  thus  appear  was  distinctly  foretold 
by  Isaiah,  "  Surely  he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and 
carried  our  sorrows."  The  word  translated  "griefs" 
signifies  bodily  disease  and  sickness.  This  prophecy 
was  literally  fulfilled  by  Christ :  "  And  Jesus  went 
about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and 
preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all 
manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease  among 
the  people" — teaching,  preaching,  healing. 

The  physical  evils  that  cluster  about  humanity 
presented  to  the  Redeemer  of  mankind  a  marvelous 
theater  for  the  display  of  the  remedial  power  of  the 
Son  of  God,  and  for  the  display  of  his  greater  power 
and  benevolence  in  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins. 
During  the  w^liole  of  his  earthly  ministry  the  Saviour 
appeared  before  the  people  in  the  twofold  character 
of  the  great  Physician  and  the  great  Redeemer.  If 
the  Church  hears  and  obeys  his  great  commission  : 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature,"  she  may  count  among  the  signs  fol- 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chukch.      283 

lowing,  "  Thej  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they 
shall  recover" — not  in  the  line  of  the  miraculous, 
but  in  the  line  of  charitable  deeds,  which  are  more 
beneficent. 

In  this,  as  in  every  thing  else,  tlie  Churcli  has 
failed  to  do  her  whole  duty ;  but  from  the  days  of 
Christ  until  now  we  may  trace  the  Church's  path 
among  the  nations  by  her  healing  virtues,  and  the 
light,  health,  and  life  that  have  sprung  up  in  her 
course.  The  words  of  Christ  have  brought  healing  to 
the  soul,  and  charities  instituted  by  the  Church  have 
done  much  to  alleviate  the  sorrows  of  mankind. 

Hospitals  for  the  sick,  the  aged,  the  helpless,  and 
the  poor  are  really  outgrowths  of  Christianity.  They 
do  not  exist  to  any  appreciable  extent  where  the 
Gospel  is  not  known,  and  they  did  not  exist  before 
the  days  of  Christ.  "  The  hospital  is  the  monument 
erected  by  the  Church  to  the  memory  of  her  Lord's 
stretching  forth  his  hand  to  heal.  Even  more  than 
places  of  worship  this  was  the  characteristic  mark  of 
a  Christianized  society.  The  temple  at  Jerusalem 
had  been  standing  for  ages.  The  synagogues  were 
of  ancient  date.  The  pagans  worshiped  in  groves 
and  high  places.  The  Greeks  and  Romans  piled 
their  magnificent  architecture  to  the  gods.  Men 
were  familiar  with  what  answered  to  churches  ;  but 
asylums  for  the  wretched,  hospitals  for  the  sick  were 
yet  unknown  in  the  world ;  they  were  the  product  of 
the  Christian  Church." 


2Si        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

Were  we  able  to  trace  tlie  history  of  this  class  of 
institutions,  we  would  find  that  most  of  them  orig- 
inated in  the  piety  and  benevolence  of  some  indi- 
vidual or  Church  who  wished  to  honor  God  and 
bless  mankind,  and  they  have  been  supported  in 
perpetuity  by  the  liberality  of  the  followers  of 
Christ. 

In  all  countries  many  of  them  are  designated  by 
names  that  indicate  the  close  relation  they  bear  to 
the  Church  of  Clirist :  "Hotel  Dieu,"  or  God's 
Hospital,  Christ's  Hospital,  The  Hospital  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  The  Hospital  of  the  Holy  Trinity. 
More  frequently  the  names  of  the  evangelists  and 
saints  are  applied  to  them. 

These  institutions  have  not  arisen  as  the  result  of 
any  positive  command  of  Christ,  but  from  the  princi- 
ples of  his  Gospel  and  the  force  of  his  example. 
The  spirit  of  love  and  self-sacrifice  lay  at  the  founda- 
tion of  Christ's  work,  and  these  must  permeate  the 
organic  body  which  is  the  representative  of  Christ 
on  earth.  The  fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brother- 
hood of  man,  as  taught  by  Christ,  lead  us  to  care  for 
the  poor  and  the  unfortunate,  because  we  recognize 
in  them  the  relationship  to  God  and  to  ourselves. 
The  full  measure  of  the  Gospel's  work  for  man  is 
not  done  when  the  mind  is  instructed  and  the  heart 
regenerated.  It  does  not  expend  its  full  force  in 
preaching  and  teaching.  As  all  suffering  is  the 
outgrowth  of  sin,  so  love,  which  lies  at  the  base  of 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chuech.      2S5 

redemption,  will  suggest  healing  agencies  for  the  body 
as  well  as  salvation  for  the  soul. 

The  sick  and  unfortunate  are  largely  provided  for 
by  the  State ;  but,  considering  all  the  wants  of  man, 
this  cannot  well  be  done  by  the  State  in  purely  secu- 
lar institutions.  There  is  a  department  in  this  work 
which  the  Church  alone  can  till.  It  is  common  to 
seek  for  bodily  healing,  religious  instruction,  and 
consolation  at  the  same  time.  The  mind  is  often 
prepared  for  spiritual  truth  by  affliction. 

"  The  best  fruit  loads  the  broken  bough; 
And  in  the  wounds  our  sufferings  plow 
Immortal  Love  sows  sovereign  seed." 

This  demand  for  religious  instruction  arid  consola- 
tion cannot  well  be  met  by  the  State;  the  genius  of 
our  goverment  forbids  it.  If  met  in  any  sense  it 
would  not  be  as  thorough,  earnest,  or  consistent  as 
that  furnished  by  any  branch  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  This  at  least  indicates  the  propriety  of  hos- 
pitals for  the  dependent  classes  furnished  by  and  un- 
der the  control  of  the  Christian  denominations. 

We  think  it  is  high  time  that  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  should  enter  more  largely  upon  this 
branch  of  Christian  work  and  philanthropy.  Our 
benevolent  societies  and  our  evangelistic  labor  are 
indications  of  our  liberality  and  zeal.  May  our  hos- 
pitals soon  be  located  in  every  large  city,  and  become 
representative  of  the  Church's  philanthropy,  centers 
of  medical  knowledge  and  surgical  skill,  and  the  source 


286        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

of  healing  and  spiritual  comfort  to  tens  of  tliousands 
of  the  unfortunate  among  mankind ! 

At  no  very  distant  day  we  hope  to  see  hospi- 
tals, orplianages,  and  homes  for  the  aged  under  the 
care  of  deaconesses ;  godly  women  who  have  been 
tried  and  found  faithful,  who  have  been  instructed 
and  therefore  competent  to  take  care  of  the  body, 
inform  the  mind,  and  feed  the  moral  nature  with 
religious  truth,  leading  the  soul  to  God  through 
Jesus  Christ. 

Course  of  Study  and  Plan  for  Training. 

The  course  of  study  and  reading  indicates  a  deter- 
mination to  place  this  office  and  work  on  a  more  than 
ordinary  intellectual  and  educational  basis.  It  is  suf- 
ficiently scriptural  and  denominational  to  satisfy  the 
most  ardent  Methodist.  It  is  cause  for  congratulation 
that  from  the  outset  the  deaconess  institutions  are  to 
be  training-schools  for  Christian  workers.  Too  much 
stress  cannot  be  laid  on  the  importance  of  training. 
Those  who  have  had  the  longest  acquaintance  with 
this  work  regard  this  feature  as  of  the  highest  impor- 
tance. This  thought  lay  at  the  foundation  of  the 
German  work.  "Two  ideas  seem  to  have  presided 
over  all  the  working  life  of  Dr.  Fliedner :  first,  that 
2i  female  'Diakonie'  is  required  by  the  Church  of 
modern  times;  and,  secondly,  that  this  'Diakonie' 
to  be  efficient  must  be  trained." 

This  training,  to  be  of  real  value,  must  be  system- 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.      287 

atic,  and  of  a  tlireefold  character — intellectualj  prac- 
tical, and  religious. 

The  intellectnal  will  include  the  theoretical.  The 
practical  will  be  obtained  in  actual  work  in  the  schools, 
hospitals,  orphanages,  and  in  the  homes  of  poverty 
and  sickness,  and  at  the  bedside  of  the  dying. 

Close  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  training  of  the 
deaconess  in  religious  work.  Not  only  should  she  be 
deeply  pious,  having  a  good  experience  of  divine 
truth,  but  she  must  know  how  to  impart  religious 
truth  to  others.  Fliedner  said  :  "  How,  unless  she  is 
instructed,  can  the  deaconess  administer  at  night  those 
spiritual  drops  which  are  often  worth  more  than  a 
whole  sermon?"  The  deaconess  must  be  trained  by 
methodical  habits  of  study  and  devotion  for  religions 
teaching,  and  be  able  to  apply  the  word  of  God  to  the 
hearts  of  those  to  whom  she  ministers  according  to 
the  needs  of  the  patient  or  penitent.  She  must  be 
able,  under  favorable  and  unfavorable  circumstances, 
to  offer  audible  prayer,  and  if  she  can  sing  the  songs 
of  Zion,  and  by  sacred  melody  move  the  hearts  of 
those  whom  she  tries  to  save,  it  will  be  a  great  gain. 

The  rules  of  some  institutions,  prescribing  very 
minutely  the  hours  of  prayer,  meditation,  and  other 
forms  of  devotion,  seem  too  mechanical  and  ascetic ; 
yet  the  Iiabit  of  devotimi  must  be  cultivated,  and  the 
^'home"  must  be  the  place  where  the  deaconess  can 
be  replenished  and  in  every  sense  equipped  for  the 
field  of  labor.     It  must  be  her  •'  Tabor,"  where  she 


288       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

holds  converse  with  God  and  gathers  new  glory  and 
strength  for  the  conflict  with  nnbehef,  disease,  and  all 
the  forms  of  sin. 

It  must  be  a  retreat  where  devotion  predominates, 
love  rules,  and  Christ  is  supreme ;  the  council  cham- 
ber where  victories  are  recounted  and  new  plans  laid, 
and  where  the  joyful  soul  shall  stimulate  the  despond- 
ent, and  each  shall  help  all,  and  all  shall  promote  the 
interest  of  the  one  family  and  the  glory  of  the  one 
Master. 

Dress. 

"That  a  simple  uniform  be  worn  sufficient  for  pro- 
tection and  recognition  in  their  work,  and  that  the 
same  uniform  be  adopted  by  all  deaconess  homes." 
There  were  persons  present  in  the  Conference  when 
this  recommendation  was  adopted  who  had  given  this 
subject  more  than  a  passing  thought,  and  we  may  re- 
gard this  as  the  best  judgment  of  all.  It  certainly 
coincides  with  that  of  those  who  have  had  much  to  do 
with  the  deaconess  work,  and  follows  the  practice  of 
almost  every  deaconess  institution  with  which  we  are 
acquainted.  Some  think  it  a  trivial  matter,  others 
condemn  it ;  we  think  it  important. 

If  the  dress  is  not  uniform  in  its  main  features,  it 
must  be  left  to  the  taste  and  discretion  of  each  indi- 
vidual. Nothing  differs  more  widely  than  taste  in 
dress.  The  religious  work  of  the  order  is  likely  to  be 
marred  without  this  uniformit3^  Some  will  engage 
in  it  wh©  are  poor  and  others  who  are  rich ;  if  left  to 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.      289 

individual  taste  in  dress,  one  will  be  richly  and  the 
other  poorly  clad.  Some  will  appear  in  plain  and 
simple  style,  and  others  in  bright  colors  and  fashion- 
able attire.  Eich  and  costly  dress  at  tlie  bedside  of 
the  hospital  patient  and  in  the  homes  of  the  destitute 
is  incongruous.  All  deaconesses,  whatever  tlieir  for- 
mer position,  wliile  employed  in  the  work,  are  on  a 
social  level.  Uniformity  in  dress  in  a  large  institu- 
tion is  a  matter  of  great  practical  economy. 

A  conference  held  at  Kaiserswertli  '•  pronounced 
imanimonsly  for  a  distinctive  dress,  and  summed  up 
its  advantages  thus:  It  made  the  sisters  known  at 
once  alike  to  their  charge  and  the  public,  inspired 
confidence  in  them  as  servants  of  the  Church  and  of 
Christian  charity,  protected  them  from  the  rudeness 
of  the  mob,  rendered  them  less  subject  to  vanity, 
and  less  disturbed  by  changes  of  fashion,  besides  sav- 
ing much  expenditure."  It  is  added,  however,  that 
the  dress  ouglit  to  be  as  simple  and  as  little  peculiar 
as  possible,  and  in  harmony  with  the  directions  of 
St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter.  1  Tim.  ii,  9,  10 ;  1  Pet.  iii,  3. 
It  was  once  suggested  to  Fliedner  by  the  king  of 
Prussia  that  the  deaconesses  should  wear  a  silver 
cross,  but  lie  opposed  it  as  being  suggestiv^e  of  a 
''  shibboleth  of  Romanism  ;"  but  the  deaconesses  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  in  the  United  States  have  adopted 
the  silver  cross.  This  will  not  commend  itself  to  the 
deaconesses  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Some  German  critics  of  Fliedner's  work  objected 
19 


290       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

to  tlie  distinctive  dress  as  inclining  toward  the  Church 
of  Eome;  but  in  answer  to  them  Schaefer  quotes 
from  Martin  Lnther,  who  advised  certain  ordej's  to 
i-etain  their  dress  after  they  had  embraced  the  doc- 
trines of  tlie  Reformation.  "  Your  garb  and  other 
laudable  usages  do  not  harm  the  Gospel,  to  the  con- 
trary, they  aid  it  in  its  fight  against  the  unbridled 
minds  which  now^adays  know  only  how  to  pull  down, 
but  not  to  rebuild  again."  * 

Of  the  present  advantages  of  the  distinctive  dress 
the  same  writer  observes  :  "By  their  23ecnliar  dress 
the  sisters  escape  the  tyranny  and  frivolity  of 
fasliion.  Their  dress  is  cheap,  as  they  obtain  the 
material  first  at  wholesale  prices  from  the  manu- 
factory ;  it  is  eminently  practical,  for  in  every  detail 
the  prime  consideration  has  been  kept  in  view  to 
enable  the  sisters  to  work.  The  dress  of  a  deacon- 
ess is  a  constant  reminder  of  the  dignity  of  her  call- 
ing ;  it  is  also  a  protection,  for  in  this  attire  the 
sister  will  remain  unmolested  at  all  times  and  in  all 
places  where  it  would  be  impossible  for  other  women 
not  to  be  molested.  Her  dress  is  the  passport 
which  rarely  speaks  in  vain.  The  sister  is  always 
seen  in  her  costume,  even  when  watching  at  night. 
She  is  forbidden  to  appear  in  neglige.  The  three 
different  grades  of  probationer,  novice,  and  deaconess 
are  expressed  by  the  dress."  f 

The  distinctive  dress  of  the  Methodist  deaconess 

*  Die  Wiehliche  Diakonie,  vol.  i,  p.  22'7.  f  Ibid.,  vol.  iii,  p.  88. 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.      291 

should  differ  from  that  now  worn  by  other  deacon- 
esses and  the  use  of  it  should  be  optional  with  her 
when  not  working  or  journeying  in  the  interest  of 
the  order. 

The  call  for  deaconesses  is  probably  greater  in 
our  foreio-n  mission  fields  than  in  our  home  cities  and 
churches.  Great  as  is  the  suffering  in  cities  in 
Christian  lands  where  numerous  churches  and  other 
Christian  institutions  are  planted,  it  is  nmch  greater 
in  heathen  cities,  where  degradation  and  vice  prevail 
w^itliout  the  ameliorating  influences  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  Especially  are  deaconesses  a  necessity  for 
Christian  evangelization  in  the  Orient,  wliere  women 
are  more  jealously  secluded  than  they  were  among 
ancient  Greeks  or  Romans.    . 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1888  the  Bengal 
Annual  Conference,  through  Dr.  J.  M.  Thoburn, 
presented  memorials  praying  for  the  recognition  of 
the  order  of  deaconesses.  The  difficulties  connected 
with  aduiinistering  the  sacraments  to  the  converted 
women  of  India  have  long  been  seriously  felt.  So 
long  accustomed  to  seclusion  they  instinctively  shrink 
from  the  touch  of  man,  even  in  Christian  baptism. 

The  early  Church  fathers  felt  the  necessity  of 
havino;  the  deaconess  assist  in  the  administration  of 
this  rite  for  the  sake  of  decency ;  but  they  were  not 
as  much  needed  then  as  now  in  our  foreign  missions. 
The  cause  of  Christ  would  be  much  advanced  if 
deaconesses   should  be  ordained    to  administer  this 


292       Deaconesses,  xIncient  and  Modern. 

sacrament  to  their  own  sex.  This  was  contemplated 
in  the  memorial  of  the  Bengal  Conference.*  "  Dr. 
J.  T.  Gracey,  long  a  missionary  in  India,  says  that 
thousands  of  women  might  have  been  baptized  had 
the  sisters,  who  alone  were  admitted  to  the  zenanas, 
and  who  led  these  women  to  Christ,  been  permitted 
to  perform  the  service." f  Other  j^rominent  mission- 
aries, men  and  women,  have  expressed  substantially 
the  views  of  Dr.  Gracey. 

To  meet  this  want,  so  far  as  the  law  of  the  Church 
will  permit,  Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn  has  put  his  thought 
into  practical  form,  and  has  established  in  the  city 
of  Calcutta  the  first  deaconess  home  in  India.  For 
this  purpose  he  took  with  him  four  American  ladies, 
who  are  under  the  direction  of  himself  and  wife, 
Mrs.  Anna  Thoburn,  M.D.  We  believe  this  to  be 
the  nucleus  of  what  will  become  one  of  the  grandest 
evangelistic  agencies  that  India  has  ever  seen. 

There  is  also  a  deaconess  home  established,  and 
partially  endowed,  in  Muttra,  within  the  boundaries 
of  the  Korth  India  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Cliurch,  and  now  in  charge  of  our  vet- 
eran missionary.  Miss  Fannie  J.  Sparkes,  who  has 
had  the  training  of  many  native  females  in  the 
Orphanage  in  Bareilly,  which  was  in  her  charge  for 
twelve  or  fifteen  years.  When  these  homes  are  es- 
tablished in  all  our  mission  fields  the  native  women 

*  General  Conference  Journal,  1888,  p.  100. 
f  Woman  in  the  Pulpit,  p.  81. 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chuech.      293 

can  be  trained  in  Christian  work,  and  can  do  much 
for  the  redemption  of  tlieir  own  sex  in  their  native 
land.  History  shows  that  this  has  always  been  God's 
order.  A  tribe,  nation,  or  race  must  be  evangelized, 
and  the  institutions  of  Christianity  perpetuated, 
chiefly  by  the  agency  of  members  of  that  race. 
Others  may  plant  and  supervise,  but  the  work  must 
ultimately  devolve  on  native  agencies. 

In  any  field  where  women  are  not  employed  as 
agents  for  the  dissemination  of  truth,  women  are  not 
reached  ;  the  mission  is  shorn  of  half  its  strength, 
and  the  work  is  retarded. 

In  treating  of  deaconesses  in  connection  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  it  is  w^orthy  of  re- 
mark that  it  is  the  first  branch  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  in  modern  times  that  has  incorporated  the 
deaconess  work  as  an  integral  part  of  its  organization 
and  made  the  deaconess  an  otiicer  of  the  Church  by 
its  organic  law.  The  various  Protestant  communions 
have  been  very  slow  in  providing  for  the  office  of  the 
female  diaconate  in  their  constitutions. 

The  recognition  of  the  deaconess  as  an  ecclesias- 
tical oflScer  by  the  law  of  the  State  churches  of 
the  Fatherland  is  a  diflficult  and  delicate  matter,  as 
tlie  German  churches  have  no  free  corpoi'ate  organ- 
ization. But  the  prominent  leaders  and  Churchmen 
have  shown  their  highest  appreciation  and  approba- 
tion of  the  work,  and  have  co-operated  in  its  estab- 
lishment   and    extension.     The   General   Council  of 


29i        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


the  American  Lutheran  Church  and  the  synod  of 
Pennsylvania  have  recognized  the  deaconess  work, 
but  have  made  no  provision  for  it  in  the  constitution 
or  in  the  Book  of  Worship. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  not  in- 
corporated it.  The  deaconess  is  unknown  in  its 
canons,  and  although  as  a  Christian  worker  she  is 
employed  and  encouraged,  and  is  inducted  to  office 
by  solemn  and  impressive  forms,  these  are  not  found 
in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  The  Church  of 
England  has  encouraged  the  movement  and  has 
eiirht  deaconess  establishments  connected  with  the 
dioceses  within  which  they  are  located.  The  deacon- 
ess has  been  consecrated  by  the  imposition  of  hands 
by  the  episcopacy,  but  she  is  not  recognized  in  the 
canons,  and  her  relation  to  the  Church  is  so  donbtful 
as  to  be  a  matter  of  controv^ersy  among  Churclimen. 

But  under  the  impulse  given  to  this  work  by  the 
example  and  wonderful  success  of  Kaisers werth 
these  institutions  have  grown  up  under  the  wing  of 
almost  all  denominations,  and  the  Churcli  has  been  a 
foster-mother  to  them.  They  are  hers  by  adoption, 
not  by  natural  birth.  Nearly  all  communions  are 
reachino^  after  a  closer  union  with  them.  The 
Church  of  England  is  striving  after  a  more  general 
organization,  but  all  her  efforts  in  the  past  are  de- 
tached and  form  no  part  of  a  complete  system. 

The   great    English   institution    at   Mild  may  and 
others  like  it  are  the  outgrowth  of  the  faith  of  a  few 


In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chuuch.       295 

brave  sonls  wlio  have  trusted  in  God  and  moved  for- 
ward. The  officers  as  such  are  not  i-esponsible  to 
any  Churcli,  and  no  Cliurch  is  responsible  for  them, 
though  clergymen  and  bishops  may  heartily  sympa- 
thize. The  English  and  German  institutions  are  only 
responsible  to  those  who  combine  to  maintain  them. 

The  step  taken  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
is  therefore  one  of  very  great  importance,  and  will 
reflect  great  honor  upon  her.  It  is  not  a  small  tiling 
to  be  the  first  Church  in  Protestantism  to  make  the 
organization  of  woman's  work  a  branch  of  the  gen- 
eral organization  of  the  Church,  under  the  control  of 
her  several  judicatories.  It  indicates  the  readiness  of 
Methodism  to  adopt  any  measure  that  proves  its 
adaptation  to  the  wants  of  the  times,  and  it  reveals 
the  elasticity  of  the  system  which  can  incorporate 
and  assimilate  a  working  force  so  extensive  as  this 
promises  to  be. 

The  future  will  more  than  realize  the  flight  of 
fancy  of  one  of  its  advocates.  "  It  seems  to  me, 
when  I  look  forward  and  think  about  the  great  army 
of  consecrated  workers  that  God  will  raise  up,  as  if  I 
could  hear  the  tread  of  angels'  feet  on  all  the  streets 
of  our  great  cities.  I  believe  that  God  is  about  to 
raise  up  an  army  of  women  workers,  such  as  you 
know  nothing  about ;  such  as  I  myself  have  never 
dreamed  of.  There  is  no  form  of  Church  work 
these  women  will  not  do.  All  they  ask  is  to  give 
them  the  right   of  control   and  proper  recognition  ; 


296        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

and,  take  my  word  for  it,  God's  blessing  will  be 
upon  the  action,  and  you  will  live  to  see  the  day 
when  the  hope  which  I  have  expressed  will  be  more 
than  realized."  * 

At  the  present  time,  when  the  work  is  but  just  be- 
gun and  is  not  known  to  the  Church  beyond  a  limited 
circle,  the  demand  for  deaconesses  is  so  large  it  cannot 
be  met.  Congregations  in  the  great  cities  are  ready 
to  adopt  and  provide  for  the  movement  and  are  call- 
ing for  these  trained  laborers  to  send  them  forth  to 
bring  the  suffering  and  sinful  to  the  sheltering  arms 
of  Christ.  "  Lift  up  your  eyes,  and  look  on  the  iields  : 
for  they  are  white  already  to  the  harvest." 

*  Dr.  Tliobuni,  Debate  in  General  Conference,   1888. 


Conclusion.  297 


CHAPTER  XVL 

COXCLUSIOK 

The  varied  developments  of  civilization  create  new 
conditions  and  wants.  As  these  are  felt  efforts  are 
made  to  supply  them.  'New  industries  are  called 
into  existence,  and  the  "lost  arts"  are  revived,  or 
new  applications  made  of  old  ones.  This  is  no  more 
true  of  secular  than  of  moral  and  religious  things. 

A  great  change  has  taken  place  within  a  half  cent- 
ury in  the  relative  proportions  of  population  in  city 
and  country,  and  in  their  relation  to  religious  truth 
and  instruction.  The  new  forms  of  religious  labor 
and  philanthropy  to  which  the  nineteenth  century 
has  given  birth  have  scarcely  kept  pace  with  the 
wants  of  the  people.  The  tendency  of  the  age  is  to 
bring  vast  masses  of  people  together  in  cities,  and 
this  increases  both  poverty  and  crime.  The  tene- 
ment houses  become  crowded,  disease  is  engendered, 
and  the  physical  and  moral  condition  of  the  people 
become  lamentable  in  the  extreme.  The  more  dense 
the  population  the  greater  the  suffering,  degradation, 
and  vice. 

Philadelphia  does  not  compare  with  New  York, 
and  London  is  worse  than  either.  It  is  so  bad  that 
even  the  bare  statement  of  facts  without  colorincr  or 


298       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

fancy  does  violence  to  all  modesty  and  propriety. 
To  every  thoughtful  mind  this  is  a  matter  of  serious 
reflection.  As  fast  as  our  population  increases  we 
are  tending  to  the  same  state  of  tilings. 

"  During  the  half  century  preceding  1880  popula- 
tion in  the  cities  increased  more  than  four  times  as 
rapidly  as  that  of  the  village  and  country.  In  the 
year  1800  there  were  only  six  cities  in  the  United 
States  which  had  a  population  of  eight  thousand  or 
more.  In  1880  there  w^ere  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
six."  ^ 

There  is  another  fact  closely  related  to  this  w^hich 
should  be  borne  in  mind ;  at  the  same  time  that  tliere 
is  a  great  influx  of  the  working  classes  to  our  cities 
there  is  a  very  considerable  efflux  of  the  rich  and 
cultured  to  our  suburban  towns  for  family  residences. 
This  is  constantly  increasing  as  our  manufacturers 
gj'ow  rich  and  the  w^orking  classes  grow  poor. 
Churches  lose  their  wealthy,  intelligent,  paying  mem- 
bers, and  after  a  few  years  of  struggle  the  congrega- 
tion disbands,  the  edifice  is  sold  for  business  purposes, 
the  wealthy  find  more  congenial  surroundings,  and 
the  poor  are  left  in  their  poverty  with  fewer  moral 
influences  around  them  and  in  greater  spiritual  des- 
titution than  ever.  There  is  but  little  more  affinity 
or  aflSliation  between  the  average  rich  manufacturer 
and  his  operatives  than  there  is  between  him  and  the 
machines   that  make  his  wares.      They  are  left  in 

*  Josiah  Strong.  D.D.,  Our  Country,  p.  120. 


Conclusion.  299 

courts  and  alleys  to  seethe  and  fester  in  moral  cor- 
ruption and  sin  with  scarcely  a  hand  extended  to  save 
them,  apparently  forsaken  by  the  Church,  if  not  by 
God  and  man. 

We  have  alluded  to  the  above  facts  simply  to  show- 
that  there  is  more  work  for  Christian  women  to  do 
now  than  in  any  previous  period  in  the  history  of  the 
Church.  If  the  physical  miseries  of  the  poor  are 
ever  to  be  ameliorated,  and  their  moral  maladies 
healed  ;  if  there  ever  come  to  them  the  sympathy 
born  of  Christian  principle,  and  the  counsel  that 
springs  from  Christian  intelligence,  they  must  be 
carried  to  them  by  those  impelled  by  the  love  of 
God.  If  their  homes  are  ever  lit  up  by  Gospel  truth 
it  must  be  sent  by  Christian  philanthropy  and  borne 
by  Christian  women.  Men  cannot  do  it  if  they 
would,  the  proprieties  of  life  forbid  it. 

They  cannot  enter  the  dwellings  of  the  sick  and 
poor,  renovate  the  house,  instruct  the  children,  and 
nurse  the  wnfe  and  mother.  It  is  gentle  care  and 
tact,  the  instinctive  good  sense  and  the  love  of  Chris- 
tian women  that  are  most  w^anted  to  brighten  the 
homes  and  correct  the  habits  of  the  degraded  part  of 
our  population. 

Those  who  have  given  the  matter  much  thought 
know  that  these  demands  cannot  be  met  by  personal 
labor  and  benevolence  without  organization.  The 
stream  of  beneficence  and  work  must  be  as  steady 
and  unceasing  as  the  stream  of  poverty  and  degrada- 


300        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


tion.  We  know  of  nothing  at  present  that  meets 
the  demand.  Societies  to  aid  the  poor  in  temporal 
things,  organizations  to  furnish  fuel  and  food  to  the 
cold  and  hungry  are  generally  unsympathetic.  They 
do  not  feed  the  soul,  or  fan  the  dying  embers  of 
hope,  or  direct  the  penitent  to  the  fountain  of  cleans- 
ing. All  this  the  deaconess  will  do.  She  can  be  the 
almoner  of  the  Church's  liberality  to  the  destitute. 
She  will,  more  than  any  other  officer  of  the  Church, 
literally  feed  the  hungry,  clothe  the  naked,  visit  the 
sick  and  those  in  prison,  and  offer  the  balm  of  Gospel 
grace  to  the  penitent  and  broken-hearted. 

The  need  of  woman's  work  as  an  organized  force 
was  never  felt  as  now.  Her  power  for  the  subduing 
of  moral  evil,  the  amelioration  of  suffering,  and  the 
successful  prosecution  of  moral  reforms  was  never  so 
generally  conceded.  Her  adaptation  to  religious  work 
is  recognized  and  her  admission  to  ecclesiastical  office 
is  called  for  in  every  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
She  is  adapted  to  do  that  kind  of  work  which  the 
Church  has  largely  failed  to  do,  and  failed  because 
she  refused  to  employ  woman  as  one  of  her  cliief 
agencies.  The  Church  has  tried  to  fulHll  her  mission 
of  good  to  the  world  with  her  left  hand  paralyzed, 
and  has  been  unable  to  effect  a  straightforward  pas- 
sage to  her  desired  haven,  as  a  man  who  attempts  to 
cross  a  stream  M-ith  but  a  single  oar  to  his  boat. 

Woman  has  already  demonstrated  her  ability  to 
grapple  with  all  difficulties  in  every  sphere  that  has 


Conclusion.  301 

been  opened  to  her,  and  has  overcome  them.  She 
has  shown  her  wisdom  and  power  in  formulating 
great  plans  and  in  executing  them.  She  is  no  mere 
weakling  that  must  be  held  in  tutelage,  guided  and 
restrained  lest  she  do  some  unwomanly  thing  that 
shall  cast  a  shadow  upon  her  honor  or  fame.  Give 
her  a  fair  opportunity  to  do  her  share  of  social  and 
and  relii^rious  work  and  means  of  instruction  to  do  it 
well. 

There  are  thousands  of  women  in  every  branch  of 
the  Christian  Church,  with  latent  powers  for  good 
that  are  immeasurable,  w^aiting  for  some  trumpet 
voice  to  call  and  a  guiding  hand  to  organize,  and  when 
these  come  they  will  go  forth  to  make  the  desert  blos- 
som like  the  rose. 

Dr.  T.  M.  Eddy  said :  ''  O  for  woman's  full  power 
in  the  Church  !  Woman,  God's  evangel  at  home  and 
elsewdiere ;  woman  telling,  with  wifely  love  and  sis- 
terly tenderness  and  motherly  sanctity,  how  the  lost 
may  be  found,  the  wanderer  saved !  Woman  reach- 
ing out  her  hands  to  save  those  that  are  toppling 
down  to  hell !  O  woman,  will  you  comprehend  your 
power  ?  When  I  see  women  following  fashion  blindly ; 
wdien  I  see  her  throwing  away  her  influence ;  when  I 
see  her  sanction  of  irreligious  social  life ;  when  I  see 
reckless  prodigality  instead  of  self-denying  thrift,  my 
soul  cries  out  in  strong  desire  for  the  entire  consecra- 
tion of  the  women  of  the  Church  to  the  work  of  God 

and  the  elevation  of  the  race.      O  for  w^o man's  full 
20 


302        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

power  on  the  broad  field  of  Christian  achieve- 
ment ! " 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church,  from  the  earliest 
ages,  has  utilized  the  talent  and  devotion  of  woman 
for  Clmrcli  aggrandizement.  This  she  is  doing  at  the 
present  day,  not  only  in  Spain  and  Italy,  where  Ro- 
manism is  supreme,  but  in  the  United  States,  where  it 
stands  exposed  to  public  scrutiny  and  must  rely  upon 
its  practical  worth  alone  for  support,  as  that  worth  is 
estimated  by  its  adherents.  The  immense  establish- 
ments built  up  in  this  country  are  standing  monu- 
ments to  the  vitality  of  the  Romish  diaconal  mon- 
achism  in  the  female  sex.  Catholicism  owes  much  of 
its  growth,  wealth,  and  powder  in  this  land  to  this  in- 
strumentality of  the  "sisters."  Their  acts  of  self-sac- 
rifice, Iheir  devotion  and  kindness  to  the  poor,  often 
commend  them  to  Protestants,  w^ho  cannot  but  admire 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  them  though  marred  by  the 
spirit  of  the  propagandist. 

A  Metliodist  preacher  in  a  western  city,  in  his  pas- 
toral visitations,  found  a  Sister  of  Charity  in  a  Prot- 
estant home  wliere  the  wife  and  mother  lay  dying. 
She  nursed  tlie  woman,  kept  tlie  children  clean,  swept 
or  mopped  tlie  floor,  and  performed  other  menial  but 
kindly  offices  for  the  distressed  family.  When  the 
Methodist  pastor  baptized  tlie  dying  w^oman,  the  Cath- 
olic sister  held  the  bowl  of  water ;  and  after  tlie 
mother  died  and  the  family  were  broken  up  she  took 
the  children  to  an  orphanage  which  was  waiting  to 


Conclusion.  3U3 

receive  them.  *'  This,"  says  the  preacher,  *'  was  right; 
she  liad  earned  them.     This  is  applied  Cliristianitj." 

Why  sliould  not  Methodism  use  this  miglity  arm  of 
power  to  the  fullest  extent  to  accomplish  good  for 
man  and  for  proper  Church  aggrandizement?  Meth- 
odism is  often  represented  as  the  counterpart  of 
Romanism  in  the  efficiency  and  completeness  of  its 
organization.  We  glory  in  our  system  as  a  grand 
piece  of  ecclesiastical  machinery  for  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  world,  while  we  need  not  affirm,  because 
it  is  known  to  all  intelligent  persons,  that  there  is 
no  prelatical  assumption  and  nothing  that  binds  the 
consciences  of  men. 

Professor  Goldwin  Smith  once  said  to  the  w:iter: 
*'I  regard  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  as  the 
only  oifset  to  Roman  Catholicism  in  the  United  States, 
and  the  only  ecclesiastical  organization  that  can  cope 
with  it  in  its  contest  for  the  masses."  The  path  to 
the  largest  success  in  the  evangelization  of  the  people 
is  in  the  oro^anization  of  women  as  an  ecclesiastical 
force  in  conjunction  with  our  present  system.  Let 
not  Methodism  be  driven  from  the  work  by  the  cry 
of  "  popery !  "  already  heard  from  those  who  are  not 
informed  as  to  the  nature  and  design  of  the  deaconess 
movement. 

The  Anglican  communion,  both  in  England  and  in 
the  United  States,  manifests  the  same  interest  in  the 
organized  work  of  woman.  She  is  regarded  as  an 
important  agent  in  the  application  of  Christian  doo- 


SOtt        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

trine  to  tlie  conditions  of  society  among  the  masses, 
and  also  as  a  religious  propagandist.  We  here  ad- 
duce a  few  testimonies  from  eminent  divines  of  tliat 
Church  :  "  The  light  recently  thrown  upon  the  script- 
ural authority  for,  and  primitive  antiquity  of,  the  office 
of  deaconess  will  surely  demonstrate  that  the  revival 
of  that  office  is  indispensable  to  the  fullest  and  most 
efficient  development  of  the  Church's  working  pow- 
ers. .  .  .  Let  it  be  clearly  and  distinctly  proclaimed 
that  the  cause  of  the  Master  is  waiting  for  woman's 
help."  * 

^'  I  believe  women  to  be  indirectly  most  valuable 
agents  in  evangelizing  the  sinful  and  ignorant  at  home 
and  abroad."  f 

"  That  women  are  intended  by  Christ  to  work  in 
his  Church  directly  for  him  appears  to  me  perfectly 
clear,  from  the  life  of  our  Lord  in  his  own  ministry 
and  from  the  words  of  the  Epistles.  ...  I  conclude, 
therefore,  that  no  branch  of  the  Church  is  perfectly 
fulfilling  the  apostolic  precept  and  example  which  is 
not  making  provision  for  the  due  employment  of 
women's  work.  ...  I  say  that  all  the  works  to  which 
such  women  are  devoted  are  the  works  of  evangelists ; 
that  is,  whether  the  work  be  teaching  children,  it  is 
not  solely  or  principally  the  ordinary  work  of  instruc- 
tion, but  the  revealing  Christ  to  the  child  ;  or  labor- 
ing among  the  poor,  it  is  not  chiefly  for  their  relief ; 
or  among  the  sick,  it  is  not  chiefly  as  hospital  sisters 

*  Rev.  Henry  C.  Potter,  D.D.  f  Bishop  of  London. 


Conclusion.  305 

for  the  relief  of  the  body  ;  or  with  tlie  fallen,  as  the 
attendants  at  lock  hospitals,  merely  to  heal  the  body 
and  mend  the  morals ;  but  in  each  case  to  reveal 
Christ  to  the  poor,  the  sick,  and  the  fallen.'-  * 

"  I  believe  that  many  a  man  is  won  by  the  gentle- 
ness and  practical  unquestioning  faith  of  our  deacon- 
esses and  sisters,  who  would  simply  turn  a  deaf  ear 
to  a  clergyman  ;  and  many  a  woman,  callous  to  ordi- 
nary influences,  may  be  gradually  restored  to  femi- 
nine softness  and  humility  by  frequent  intercourse 
with  them."  f 

Testimonies  of  like  character  can  be  found  from 
prominent  ministers  in  all  Churches.  We  give  one 
from  an  eminent  Presbyterian  divine  of  Scotland  : 
"  It  is  not  a  little  strange  that  we  are  familiar  with 
venerable  and  still  active  disputes  on  the  position  and 
duties  of  men  appointed  to  the  eldership,  as  defined 
in  the  Epistles  to  Timothy  and  Titus,  but  have  been 
long  in  obeying  the  commands  of  the  apostle  in  the 
same  epistles  to  enroll  and  organize  the  women  '  who 
labor  in  the  Gospel.'  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  tell 
of  the  spiritual  endowment  and  blessed  work  of 
women." ;{: 

The  women  of  Methodism  are  in  no  sense  behind 
other  denominations  in  Christian  zeal  and  devotion, 
intellectual  qualifications,  or  a  genius  for  religious 
labor.     The  history  of  the  denomination  proves  this, 

*  Bishop  of  Winchester.  f  ^^v.  B.  Compton,  Sec.  Dea.  Inst. 

t  Dr.  Ciiarleris,  Fresh.  Rev. 


306       Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

and  shows  that  its  success  as  an  evangelizing  power 
is  largely  due  to  the  zeal  and  piety  of  its  female  mem- 
bers. They  have,  in  a  positive  experience  of  the  sal- 
vation of  Christ,  the  best  incentive  to  works  of  charity 
and  piety.  Obtaining  by  simple  faith  the  pardon  of 
sin,  the  regeneration  and  sanctification  of  the  soul, 
they  have  found  in  the  love  which  this  creates  the 
highest  motive  to  a  consecrated  life.  Love  inspired 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  strongest  impelling  power 
to  acts  of  devotion  and  self-sacrifice. 

There  is  a  beauty  and  Christliness  in  the  consecra- 
tion of  women  to  the  service  of  the  poor  and  sufPer- 
ins:  that  connnend  it  to  our  hearts  as  the  clearest 
reflection  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  The  highest  enco- 
mium pronounced  on  the  Saviour  is,  "  He  went  about 
doing  good,  and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of 
the  devil,  for  God  was  w^ith  him."  There  was  in 
Christ's  ministry  a  gracious  mingling  of  physical  and 
moral  healing  wonderfully  adapted  to  the  condition 
of  man.  ''  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee,  arise,  take  up 
thy  bed,  and  walk  !  " 

It  is  precisely  this  kind  of  work  which  the  Church 
seeks  to  do  by  the  ministry  of  deaconesses.  Always 
excluding  from  our  thought  the  miraculous,  the  dea- 
coness will  administer  healing  to  the  body,  instruc- 
tion to  the  mind,  and  comfort  to  the  soul.  This 
last  thought  must  always  be  first  in  mind.  She  is 
always  and  every-where  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ 
seeking  to  win  lost  souls.     The  Bible  is  her  text-book 


Conclusion.  307 

in  wliich  she  lias  been  specially  instructed,  and  from 
which  she  can  bring  things,  new  and  old,  adapted  to 
every  case. 

The  duties  of  the  modern  deaconess  are  not  pre- 
cisely those  of  the  ancient ;  it  is  not  essential  that 
they  should  be.  Times  and  circumstances  differ. 
Technical  training  was  probably  unknown  in  the  early 
Church.  But  the  modern  deaconess,  to  be  efficient, 
must  be  trained.  Skilled  labor  in  every  department 
in  life  is  most  in  demand.  If  God  calls  men  or 
women  to  a  special  work,  he  calls  them  to  a  special 
preparation  for  it  wliere  the  facilities  are  at  hand  to 
secure  it. 

The  deaconess  home  is  tlie  training-school,  and 
its  chief  value  lies  in  the  facilities  it  offers  to  pre- 
pare women  for  work  among  the  suffering  and  sinful. 
It  is  the  drill-ground  for  the  soldier  of  Christ  chafing 
for  the  battle. 

The  foundation  of  this  training  for  the  duties  of 
the  diaconate  lies  in  woman's  own  nature,  implanted 
by  the  Creator's  own  hand,  who  has  made  her  "  the 
best  of  nurses,  the  gentlest  of  alms-givers,  the  tender- 
est  of  educators  for  the  young  of  both  sexes,  and  the 
great  trainer  and  moral  reformer  of  her  own." 

Our  cities  call  loudly  for  this  kind  of  work  in  pri- 
vate families  and  public  institutions.  Hospitals,  or- 
phanages, poor-houses,  arid  prisons  call  for  Christian 
womanly  sympathy  and  help,  and  it  is  within  the 
power  of  the  Church  to  furnish  it  by  the  ministry  of 


308        Deaconesses,  x\ncient  and  Modern. 

deaconesses.  For  centuries  Christian  women  have 
been  standing  idle  in  the  market-place.  The  gates  of 
the  vineyard  are  now  opening.  O  woman,  enter,  and 
gather  the  vintage  for  God  ! 

All  the  associations  of  Christian  women  in  Protest- 
antism since  the  Reformation  scarcely  touch  the  field 
that  is  to  be  filled  by  the  deaconess.  They  have  fur- 
nished an  opportunity  for  ladies  to  employ  a  few 
leisure  hours  in  the  service  of  the  Church,  but  the 
deaconess  gives  herself  wholly  to  the  work.  Being 
called  of  God  and  the  Church,  she  finds  her  reward 
in  a  consciousness  of  labor  done  for  Jesus'  sake. 

Nursing  is  an  important  feature  in  the  work  of  the 
modern  deaconess.  Immense  hospitals  were  founded 
in  the  Middle  Ages  but  failed  in  efficiency  for  lack  of 
skill  in  management.  Even  as  late  as  the  last  century 
in  the  Hotel  Dieu,  Paris,  "  the  dying,  the  dead,  and 
the  convalescent  might  be  seen  here  and  there  on  one 
and  the  same  couch,  separated  only  by  a  low  board. .  . . 

"  The  hospital-nurses  in  ancient  times  consisted 
altogether  of  persons  appointed  by  the  Church,  or  of 
volunteers.  Throughout  the  Middle  Ages  the  nurs- 
ing of  the  sick  was  chiefly  in  the  hands  of  certain 
societies  and  orders,  like  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  the 
Teutonic  order,  the  Lazarists,  and  later  on,  the  Sisters 
of  Mercy.  After  the  Peformation,  in  Protestant 
countries,  the  care  of  the  sick  in  hospitals  was  mostly 
given  to  paid  nurses,  the  patients  faring  worse  and 
worse  under  this  arrangement,  though  the  standard 


Conclusion.  309 

maintained  at  tlie  present  time  for  nurses  is  much 
higher  than  formerly,  both  with  regard  to  their  tech- 
nical abihty  and  to  their  moral  character."  * 

"  In  his  short  history  of  the  origin  of  the  Kaisers- 
werth  institutions  Fliedner  writes  (page  9) :  '  The 
poor  sick  have  long  been  on  my  heart.  How  often 
have  I  seen  them  badly  nursed,  spiritually  neglected, 
fading  away  in  their  unhealthy  chambers  like  the 
leaves  of  autumn.  For  a  great  many  cities,  even 
with  a  large  population,  were  without  hospitals ! 
And  even  where  hospitals  were  found — and  I  had 
seen  a  great  many  on  my  journeys  in  Holland,  lira- 
bant,  England,  Scotland,  and  our  own  Germany — I 
often  found  gates  and  corriders  shining  with  marble, 
but  the  care  of  the  suffering  bodies  was,  nevertheless, 
most  miserable.  The  physicians  complained  bitterly 
of  the  hirelings  by  day,  the  hirelings  at  night ;  of 
intoxication  and  immorality  among  male  and  female 
nurses.  Even  in  Edinburgh,  celebrated  as  it  is  for 
its  piety  and  devotion  to  good  works  and  its  charita- 
ble institutions,  the  physicians  made  such  complaint 
as  late  as  the  year  1853.  And  what  shall  I  say  of 
the  spiritual  provision  for  the  sick  ?  This  was  ut- 
terly neglected.  Hospital  preachers  were  scarcely 
known  in  most  places,  and  hospital  cliapels  still  less. 
While  in  the  Netherlands  evangelical  hospitals  had 
and  still  have  the  beautiful  name  "  God's  Houses  " 
(Godshuizen),  to  indicate  that  the  inmates  had  their 

*  Phehe  the  Deaconess,  p.  1 7, 


810        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 


special  visitation  from  God,  who  meant  to  draw  them 
to  himself,  and  chapels  and  pastors  were  regularly 
connected  with  them,  this  spiritual  care  had  almost 
entirely  ceased  in  many  parts  of  the  Protestant 
Church.' "  ^ 

A  better  state  of  things  now  exists,  largely  by  the 
efforts  of  Fliedner  and  those  trained  by  him,  but 
there  is  still  room  for  improvement.  The  deaconess, 
trained  technically  and  religiously,  will  take  the  place 
of  the  immoral  and  incompetent.  She  will  be  a  mes- 
senger of  God  to  fullill  the  mission  of  Christ  to  the 
sick  poor.  "The  lepers  are  cleansed,  .  .  .  and  the 
poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  unto  them." 

We  have  seen  the  deaconess  in  the  German  hos- 
pital in  Philadelphia  in  neat  blue  dress  and  white 
collar  and  cap,  with  cheerful  face  shining  with  love 
to  God  and  man,  gliding  noiselessly  through  the 
wards,  nursing  the  sick,  or  whispering  words  of  com- 
fort to  the  dying,  at  once  the  skilled  and  able  assist- 
ant of  the  physician  and  chaplain.  We  hope  soon  to 
see  all  institutions  of  this  kind  that  are  under  the 
control  of  the  Church  in  the  hands  of  the  order  of 
deaconesses. 

There  is  a  large  field  of  usefulness  for  the  parish 
deaconess,  and  in  this  capacity  she  will  be  more  like 
the  deaconess  of  the  early  Church  than  in  any  other. 
That  there  is  an  urgent  need  for  this  class  of  laborers, 
especially  in  our  cities,  none  can  deny.     The  pastor 

*  Phebe  the  Deaconess^  p.  18. 


Conclusion.  311 

of  any  large  church  where  the  population  is  dense 
and  poor  has  been  deeply  convinced  of  this,  and  has 
longed  a  thousand  times  for  some  pious  woman  wlio, 
under  the  authority  of  the  Church,  would  devote 
herself  wholly  to  religious  work.  He  has  a  thousand 
calls  upon  his  time  which  could  be  better  answered 
by  a  devoted  deaconess  than  by  himself.  Yisitations 
upon  the  sick,  finding  out  the  poor  and  needy,  bring- 
ing children  to  the  Sabbath-school,  going  after  those 
who  have  wandered  from  the  fold  of  Christ,  instruct- 
ing the  ignorant,  teaching  the  children  in  catechetical 
classes,  leading  them  to  the  Saviour,  or  largely  pre- 
paring them  for  intelligent  church  membership.  In 
the  course  of  a  year  many  families  in  the  congrega- 
tion may  be  in  distress,  and  would  welcome  the  pres- 
ence of  the  deaconess,  and  receive  her  counsel  with 
profound  gratitude. 

We  adopt  the  following  as  a  picture  of  city  life 
with  which  every  city  pastor  is  familiar,  and  with  the 
sentiments  of  which  we  entirely  agree  : 

"  There  is  a  house,  perhaps  in  regular  connection 
with  the  congregation,  where  the  mother  is  laid  upon 
a  sick  bed.  Early  in  the  morning  the  house-father 
has  to  go  to  his  work,  may  be  with  a  breakfast  hastily 
prepared  by  himself.  The  children  hang  around  all 
day,  unwashed,  uncombed.  It  is  impossible  to  hire 
a  regular  sick  nurse.  It  would  swallow  up  the  wages 
of  a  whole  week,  and  even  then  it  would  often  be 
doubtful  whether  the  person  secured  is  reliable  in 


312        Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

lier  character.  Then,  in  the  evening,  the  weary- 
father  returns  from  his  work ;  he  finds  himself  un- 
comfortable all  around  ;  no  home,  wliere  he  could  take 
a  rest  and  gather  new  strength  for  the  work  of  to- 
morrow. But  let  the  parish-sister  enter  such  a  house 
and  have  her  svvaj  in  it  for  a  few  hours — what  a 
pleasant  change  !  The  beds  are  made,  the  children 
properly  washed  and  dressed,  the  rooms  aired,  the 
supper  prepared,  and  by  the  time  the  house-father 
returns  in  the  evening  it  is  as  if  an  angel  of  God 
had  been  under  his  roof  with  his  hallowing  influ- 
ence. It  seems  to  me  that  our  congregations  in  this 
country  are  especially  in  need  of  this  kind  of  labor 
and  assistance.  And  we  might  have  it  to-day  if  we 
would  only  stretch  out  our  hands  and  grasp  the 
opportunity."  "^ 

Incidents  illustrative  of  this  kind  of  work  sufficient 
to  fill  many  volumes  could  be  gathered,  though  the 
movement  be  only  in  its  infancy.  The  diary  of  a 
deaconess  would  furnish  much  interesting  matter  to 
any  who  wish  to  know  ''the  simple  annals  of  the 
poor." 

The  following  is  from  a  former  parishioner  of  the 
writer,  but  now  employed  in  the  deaconess  work : 

"  House  to  house  visitation  is  certainly  the  best 
way  of  reaching  the  unsaved,  and  woman  can  enter 
the  home  and  do  a  work  that  no  others  can  do. 
Ministers  are  often  debarred  an   entrance  wliere  we 

*  Fhebe  the  Deaconess,  p.  32. 


Conclusion.  313 

are  welcomed.      I  called  upon   a   sick  woman   and 
urged  upon  her  the  necessity  of  repentance  and  sal- 
vation by  Christ.     My  word  was  not  well  received. 
I  asked  if  I  should  send  her  a  minister.     She  said, 
'  No ;  I  am  not  that  far  gone  yet.'     I  called  again 
and   found   her  very  humble   and  repentant.      She 
asked    my   pardon   for    the    manner    in   which    she 
treated  me  at  my  former  visit.      I  pointed  her  to 
Christ,  and  while  I  spoke  and  prayed  the  burden 
rolled  away  from  her  heart,  and  she  rejoiced  in  God 
her  Saviour.     I  brought  my  pastor  to  her  a  few  days 
later,  and  he  baptized  her,  and  in  a  few  hours  she 
passed  into  eternity.     I  have  always  found  much  of 
this  kind  of  work  to  do  for  the  Master,  and  have 
been  blessed' by  him  as  I  have  sat  by  the  dying  or 
prepared  them  for  their  last  resting-place,  or,  with 
help  placed  in  my^liands  for  the  purpose,  have  pro- 
vided for  their  temporal  wants  when  in  distress. 

"  Many  hearts  have  been  made  happier  as  I  have 
gone  from  garret  to  cellar,  or  visited  those  whose  only 
home  on  earth  was  a  little  room  in  an  old  stable.  I 
have  been  followed  from  house  to  house  by  Catholic 
women  to  hear  the  prayer  1  offered.  I  have  read  the 
Bible  to  them  when  sick  and  dying,  and  then-  faces 
have  beamed  with  joy  as  they  heard  the  sweet  mes- 
sage of  God.  As  we  go  through  our  district  we  find 
people  in  every  degree  of  want  and  suffering.  Our 
work  is  to  cheer  them  in  every  way  possible  and 
better  their  condition.     This  we   do  by  sending  a 


314-       Dp:aconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern. 

physician,  free  of  charge,  getting  medicines  or  food, 
or  sending  them  to  the  hospitaL  We  see  more  suf- 
fering and  sadness  in  one  week  than  most  people  see 
in  a  life-time.""^ 

The  Labors  of  these  women  often  lead  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  Sabbath-schools,  and  even  churches,  in  a 
way  that  indicates  the  special  favor  of  God. 

In  the  city  of  Chicago  a  Methodist  church,  then 
under  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  W.  C.  Willing,  employed 
a  Bible-reader,  which  is  but  another  name  for  dea- 
coness, to  visit  from  house  to  house  and  do  missionary 
work.  One  Sabbath  morning,  wnth  Bible  in  hand, 
she  started  out  to  look  up  recruits  for  church  and 
Sunday-school.  In  her  travels  she  was  watched  by  a 
young  Bohemian  who  followed  her  into  the  church. 
The  young  man  stayed  to  the  after-meeting,  was  soon 
converted,  united  with  the  church,  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  in  a  few  months  Dr.  Willing  organized 
one  hundred  members  into  the  first  Bohemian  Meth- 
odist church  in  America.  The  providential  begin- 
ning was  the  faithful  work  of  tliat  devoted  young 
woman  who  had  consecrated  her  life  to  the  service  of 
God. 

We  hope  the  Church  will  see  its  duty  to  "help 
those  women  "  who  labor  w^th  us  "  in  the  Gospel," 
by  investing  them  with  the  sanctions  enjoyed  in  the 
early  Church,  setting  them  apart  by  prayer  and  the 
imposition  of  hands,  invoking  the  endowments  of  the 
*  Miss  Ida  B.  Simpson,  Pliiladelphia. 


Conclusion.  315 

Holy  Ghost,  and  throwing  around  them  the  sanctities 
of  a  formal  consecration  ;  thus  sending  tliem  forth 
with  the  advantages  of  ecclesiastical  and  divine  au- 
thority. This  is  according  to  the  traditions  and  prac- 
tices of  primitive  Christianity,  consonant  with  the 
principles  of  Protestantism  and  Methodism.  A  sol- 
emn induction  to  office  and  investiture  with  religious 
responsibility  lead  to  deep  humility  and  holy  aspira- 
tions. 

"  They  the  loyal-hearted  women  are 

"Wlio  nobly  love  the  noblest,  yet  have  grace 

For  needy  suffering  souls  in  lowest  places." 


THE    END. 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 


1   1012 


01232  0315 


Date  Due 

JA  2b*?» 

i 

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w^Hnrl! 

M 

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PRINTED 

IN  U.  S.  A. 

